Observing a living embryo under the microscope is breathtaking. How does one organism with various parts, complex organs, and behaviors build itself from a single cell?
In my research, I capture photos and videos of developing embryos to understand how they work. However, only a few of these photos are eventually published in research papers, while the vast majority remain hidden in hard drives.
For this reason, I participate in initiatives to explore the potential of such images for science outreach.
During my master’s thesis, I created a video abstract for my project on the life cycle of a sea biscuit. The video A Sea Biscuit’s Life went online at the end of 2008 and is still getting attention:
Another outreach project I created in collaboration with Alvaro Migotto from the Center for Marine Biology of the University of São Paulo (CEBIMar) is the Cifonauta database, an image resource for marine biology. It is a multimedia platform with more than 12k annotated photos and videos of the Brazilian marine biodiversity.
I also contributed to organizing the itinerant photographic exhibits such as the Ocean: hidden life with the goal of engaging the public with scientific and conservation topics.
Finally, I frequently upload photos and videos of my research online for outreach and re-use:
- Photos and Videos (tags on this website)
- YouTube and Vimeo (where I put most of my videos)
- Cifonauta (material from my master’s thesis on echinoderm development)
- Wikimedia Commons (material from my doctorate with a greater diversity of creatures)
- Flickr (older images)
Most of these images are under a flexible Creative Commons license. If you have any questions about how to use them feel free to contact me.