UNU Update
The newsletter of United Nations University and its
network of research and training centres and programmes
 

Issue 25 : June 2003

DNA milestone event
mixes science and art

UNU Biotechnology Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNU-BIOLAC) commemorated the 50th anniversary of the discovery of DNA with a public event celebrating science and the arts.

About 300 students and members of the public attended the event held at the Institute of Advanced Studies (IDEA, Science and Technology Ministry) Caracas, Venezuela. UNU-BIOLAC coordinator Dr. José Luis Ramirez opened the celebration and introduced several of Venezuela's leading scientists who highlighted the huge impact of the discovery of DNA by Francis Crick and James Watson in 1953.

The beauty of the DNA double helix has inspired many artists and the organisers of the BIOLAC exhibition were honoured to welcome the distinguished French Sculptor Pierre Petitjean who displayed several of his sculptures inspired by the DNA molecule.

The exhibition also featured works by Venezuelan plastic artist Nela Ochoa and by five local secondary schools who contributed their own interpretations of different chemical components of the helicoidal structure made from wood, seeds, plastic objects and other materials.

Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the discovery of DNA, UNU-BIOLAC 
staged an event combining art (above and below left) and presentations 
from some of Venezuela's leading scientists (below right).
 

 

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