Wisconsin Weather as Art (and Science)

The beautiful images displayed here were submitted to the 2011 SSEC Photo Contest administered by the Schwerdtfeger Library.

They are a collection of photographs taken by scientists, faculty, staff and students from the Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences Building showcasing the way they view the natural world.

Winning photographers from 2010 were invited to judge the competition this year along with a graduate student from the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and representatives from the contest committee. Judges conducted a blind review, assessing the photographs on the following scales: 1) Weather: for accurate and clear representation of a weather phenomenon, 2) Technical: for focus, composition, lighting, color, contrast, depth of field, and 3) Artistry: for beauty, creativity, emotion, drama, telling a story.

Winning entries:

  • 1st Place: Grant Petty for Thunderstorm Cell
  • 2nd Place: Dima Smirnov for Dryline Thunderstorm
  • 3rd Place: Matthew Sitkowski for Lake Mendota Snow
  • Honorable Mention: Dima Smirnov for Arboretum Snowfields
  • Honorable Mention: Grant Petty for Frozen Lake Mendota

The exhibit is located on the third floor of the AOSS Building, west corridor, outside the Schwerdtfeger Library.