Student Art and Neuroscience

The young artists of Professor Hugh O’Donnell’s Site Specific Art class at the College of Fine Arts are drawn to the inherent beauty that exists in the connections between brain cells.  The blue neural network “Integrity of Thought 1” and  “Heart” were created by Rachelle Reichert as part of a series that was commissioned by the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (BUMC) in memory of Dr. Henry I. Russek (benefactor of Student Achievement Day at BUMC).  They are a beacon of inspiration to those students pursuing a career in neuropharmacology and serve as a daily reminder of the beauty and significance of student research that takes place in the laboratories of BU. The paintings were created using many thin-transparent layers to create luminosity thereby expressing the astounding functions and magnificence of the brain’s neurons.

About the Artists and their Work

Rachelle Reichert

Rachelle was born and raised in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.  She received her Bachelors
of Fine Arts degree in Painting from Boston University. Immediately after earning her degree in 2007 she was commissioned by both Red Bull, Inc and the Boston University Medical School to permanently display her work.  After their completion, Rachelle traveled to Catalan countryside of Spain to continue to develop her painting.  Currently, Rachelle works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and continues to paint and exhibit in New York City.  We are delighted to be able to share these works with the neuroscience community at large through the internet and through the original artwork that adorns the walls in the L-Bldg 6th Floor that houses the Office of the Graduate Neuroscience Program at 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118.

Daniel Schossev-Roden

Daniel Schossev-Roden, also a student of Hugh O’Donnell’s class, is in the University Professor’s Program, Class of 2011.  In addition to his neuroscience coursework, Daniel uses his creative talents to weave disciplines with established patterns, bringing together art and science to see how one field of knowledge can expand and inform the scope of another.  His image displayed on the left “Psyche’s Gate” captures the intent of our new Graduate Program in its blend of possibilities within a structure of entry points.

His image on the right “The Drop” represents the dedication to academic study and laboratory inspection that are common to the daily  life of a neuroscience student.