Kate Patterson uses visual language to transform complex scientific concepts for a general audience. Kate is a trans-disciplinary researcher working at the interface of art and science, using storytelling to bring together the historically segregated fields of technology, art and science.
Communication is a critical component of medical research and through the use of traditional animation, computer generated imagery and 3D animation, Kate transforms raw scientific data using the tools of visual arts and cinematography into a form that can be used for education, communication and awareness purposes. She uses both hand drawn, frame by frame animation as well as state-of-the art animation software (Maya and After Effects) to create engaging science stories.
Kate graduated from the University of Sydney faculty of Veterinary Science in 2003. She worked full time as a small animal veterinarian until 2005 and then continued to work part time in clinical practice while completing her PhD in cancer research, signal transduction at the Garvan Institute which was awarded in 2009.
More recently, Kate worked as a biomedical animator as part of the VIZBIplus team and the Inspiring Australia Unlocking Australia's potential initiative. She now works with Professor Susan Clark, head of the Genomics and Epigenetics division at the Garvan Institute, is a Fellow of the 3D Aesthetics and Viualisation laboratory and lecturer at UNSW Art and Design.
When process becomes product – repacking science communication
Sep 15, 2016 07:31 am UTC| Science
I like deadlines. They punctuate my projects. Deadlines and deliverables force me to package my projects into consumable chunks, into a product that is necessary for sharing and showing my work and also for reaching my...
Shifting the field of view: Telling science stories with virtual reality
Apr 12, 2016 06:53 am UTC| Insights & Views Science Technology
Since first donning a Virtual Reality (VR) headset only 8 months ago, my personal relationship with this technology has progressed at lightning speed, way past the awkward getting-to-know-you phase. In the broad scheme of...
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