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Interview with Jeff Nesbit of NSF

March 9, 2007 -- Arlington, VA. -- The annual Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge is now underway. Co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Science, the flagship publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Visualization Challenge is a prestigious competition to find the photographs, illustrations, and digital media that best communicate science, engineering, and technology for education and journalistic purposes.

Jeff Nesbit, Director of NSF's Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, answers questions about the Challenge:

Q: This year marks the fifth Visualization Challenge. What are you expecting?

Nesbit: I'm expecting to be amazed. The intersection of penetrating research, vigorous creativity, and newly imagined perspectives has never failed to produce anything but visual expressions of science that both inform and delight. I expect this year's entries will top anything we've seen before.

Q: But isn't this just a beauty contest; an art project for scientists?

Nesbit: Far from it. The ability to communicate scientific findings and engineering explorations visually is rapidly becoming a requirement for all researchers. We used to say �publish or perish� in academics to emphasize the importance of sharing our findings. Now we should add to that "Visualize or Vanish!"

Q: Why is sharing of this kind so important?

Nesbit: Because so often the most powerful use or insight from a discovery or creation is made not by the originators but by those who learned of it later. In the 1950s, the worldwide need for computers was expected to be less than half a dozen. Today, my car has more than four dozen computers, all more powerful than those of 50 years ago.

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