Misinformation, AI, & Science Photography

Science photographer Felice Frankel is acclaimed for the striking beauty of her images, which have been displayed in museums, published in multiple books, and even featured in the background in one of Ang Lee’s films. Yet she insists that she doesn’t think of herself as an artist. Her academic background is in biology, she began her working life doing cancer research at Columbia University, and she doesn’t see her photographic work as a form of self-expression. Instead, the subtle decisions she makes in setting up a composition, taking the photo, cropping it, and so on, are all in the service of creating an image that will communicate vital facts about the phenomenon she’s capturing. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t also want her images to be visually gripping and aesthetically appealing, but for her, the science always comes first, and any manipulations that obscure the truth are unacceptable. In this episode, Frankel talks with host Sarah Hansen about stumbling into a career as a science photographer, about sparring with researchers over photographic design decisions, and about what happened when she attempted to use AI to duplicate one of her images. Check out her most recent work, Generative AI and Science Photography, here ➟ https://youtu.be/0I8S6diyDjw?si=9fsx8X9qe4tp-d3P Relevant Resources: MIT OpenCourseWare (https://ocw.mit.edu/) The OCW Educator portal (https://ocw.mit.edu/educator/) Felice Frankel’s personal website (https://felicefrankel.com/) Felice Frankel on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felice_Frankel) RES.10-001 Making Science and Engineering Pictures: A Practical Guide to Presenting Your Work on MIT OpenCourseWare (https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/res-10-001-making-science-and-engineering-pictures-a-practical-guide-to-presenting-your-work-spring-2016/) Phenomenal Moments (book) (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/787565/phenomenal-moments-revealing-the-hidden-science-around-us-by-felice-frankel-illustrated-by-felice-frankel/) Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions (http://www.sessions.blue/) Connect with Us If you have a suggestion for a new episode or have used OCW to change your life or those of others, tell us your story. We’d love to hear from you! Call us @ 617-715-2517 On our site (https://ocw.mit.edu/contact/) On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MITOCW/) On X (https://twitter.com/MITOCW) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mitocw/) Stay Current Subscribe to the free monthly "MIT OpenCourseWare Update" e-newsletter. (https://ocw.mit.edu/newsletter/) Subscribe to Chalk Radio (https://chalk-radio.simplecast.com/) Support OCW If you like Chalk Radio and OpenCourseware, donate to help keep these programs going! (https://giving.mit.edu/give/to/ocw/?utm_source=ocw&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=donate) Credits Sarah Hansen, host and producer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-e-hansen/) Brett Paci, producer (https://twitter.com/Brett_Paci) Dave Lishansky, producer (https://twitter.com/DaveResonates) Show notes by Peter Chipman