I graduated in 2006 with an interdisciplinary studies degree in art
and biology (biomedical communications) and accepted a fellowship at
the NIH before converting over to a contractor a couple years ago
(doing essentially the same job).

In my time here, a number of baccalaureate grads have been hired as fellows and
employees since then, and it's been pretty good for those who have
spent time with our group.  Much of the work we do here is fairly
heavy on the science, but it can be very creative as well.  The main
challenges are adherence to scientific accuracy, (which you learn from
working with the scientists) and the need to comply with government
regulations for accessibility and "section 508".  While you're
probably not going to get rich here, it can be a great place to spend
some time while honing your skills, and setting yourself up for the
next phase of your career, which could be here. Fellowships generally
include one conference a year, (such as siggraph), and you have access
to all the software, computers, equipment, etc.

This is a really, really great opportunity if you're a science nerd,
or really into public service through government.  The work ranges
widely, with room to explore several areas, or focus on a limited
area.  What I'm especially looking for is either straight up CG
artists, or "jacks-of-all-trade" types, who aren't afraid of a little
html or a little code (CMS, PHP, CSS, etc).  Photography, videography
is a plus.  Here's a more concise description of the various works we
do.

Animators - Visual FX, molecules, cells and anatomy, with occasional
lab equipment.  We're looking to hire an advanced visual fx artist, or
visualization scientist in the near future to learn from, but you
should plan to be independent if you're interest lies in animation.
There is not enough (maybe any) character animation.  If your goal is
getting into Pixar, you might not enjoy the work, but maybe I'm
wrong...

Graphic Design - Posters, fliers, advertisements, websites, headers,
annual reports, newsletters, presentations, you name it.  Not always
super creative, but sometimes...

Web applications and design - We have java programmers developing and
supporting web apps to learn from if you're interested in spring and
hibernate, etc.  Otherwise, they occasionally need graphics and minor
assistance with a style sheet, etc.  We also run a large confluence
wiki, which is fairly easy to design for, or to post content to.

Mobile application development - We're looking to adapt a web based
app to iPhone and Android

Interactive 3D - programming for Unity to make custom apps

Videography and editing - occasionally we videotape a presentation or
lecture.  Other times we produce more elaborate videos for use in
presentations, outreach or distribution on the web or on a CD/DVD with
FCP suite or CS5 master collection.

Photography - Portraits and events to insects and lab animals.

Microscopy, Rapid prototype printing, research support to actual
research - We support over a thousand researchers with turning
microscope images and molecular data into physical models, to creating
animations which are shown to monkeys.  There is room to learn to do
cutting edge microscopy, collaborate on a research project, work on
patient education, visualization, interactive 3D applications, the sky
is the limit.

If this is interesting to you, please let me know, so I can share with
my contracting boss, and government supervisor.  I'll be happy to
answer questions, and would be interested in a resume and portfolio,
(not that anyone is expected to be a pro).  It's hard to find the
right candidates, who are proficient enough in the basic visual arts
to be productive, but also knowledgeable or at least interested enough
in science to earnestly pursue working with researchers to interpret
and communicate the science, using the tools we've learned as artists.
 These fellowships are about development through support, so if your
interests aren't aligned with the research you're supporting, you're
probably going to be as productive and happy.

We've assembled a reel of our former fellow's CG, as well as graphics
and posters produced over the last year on our annual report website
(which we also produce).  This website lists our "clients", so also
gives you an idea of the science we're supporting.  Take a look:
http://annualreport.nichd.nih.gov/

Best regards,
Jeremy Swan

On Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 12:32 PM, Glendon Mellow
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I tweeted it just in case that helps.
>
> -G
> --
> Glendon Mellow
> Art in Awe of Science
> http://glendonmellow.com
>
> The Flying Trilobite Blog
> Prints - Etsy - Twitter
>
>
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