2020 Online Salon
The Anatomy of a Research Process

Project Details
- Entrant Name: Melanie Connolly
- Membership Type: Professional Submission
- Address: Austin, Texas USA
- Client: London Science Group
- Copyright: 2020 Melanie Connolly
- Medium/software used: Zbrush, 3DsMax, VMD, Photoshop
- Final presentation format: Digital Museum Image
- Primary Audience: Science-Interested Museum Visitors
Project Description
What a difference collaboration makes! When SARS-CoV-2 spread worldwide, Medical Illustrators rushed to build accurate visuals with current information. While we regularly work on the leading scientific edge, this situation was different. As new research was published daily, medical artists were challenged to efficiently and quickly evaluate hundreds of sources. Michael Konomos started an editable document, and Medical Illustrators put their brains together. The resulting visuals changed over time, much like RNA viruses themselves. This compilation, created for a science museum, is in honor of my medical illustration colleagues. Without their feedback, late phone chats, and Twitter messages the resulting image would have been very different— and not nearly as fun to make.
Special thanks: M. Konomos, V. Falconieri, D. Goodsell, J. Fairman, E. Maizels, R. Amaro, M. Maritan, Feig Lab, S. Bond, P. Gerrity, and all who contributed.