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SMFA-Iyer Lab Collaborations
In 2026, our group launched a collaboration between the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) and Tufts Biomedical Engineering, pairing research labs with student artists to bring our science to life through original editorial illustrations. Working closely with our SMFA collaborators, we translate research findings into narrative visual imagery in each artist's own style and medium — from an initial lay-audience presentation of our work, through concept sketches and design variations, to a final image ready for public sharing. Along the way, our lab is building new skills in communicating complex ideas through visual storytelling, bridging Tufts' research and creative communities in a way we find genuinely rewarding!
In this potential cover image, the neuromesodermal progenitor (NMP) culturing process is represented as a cartoon circus. The NMP is represented as a unicyclist moving across a spine-shaped tightrope, trying to keep the balance of Wnt and FGF8 proteins, represented as the two ends of a balancing pole. The audience members are made up of a cartoonified renderings of the three lineages of NMP cell fates. The central nervous system lineages are in yellow: motor neurons have star-shaped heads; astrocytes have four arms connecting motor neurons; and oligodendrocytes distribute T-shirts representing Schwann cells/myelin sheaths. The peripheral nervous system lineages are in orange: peripheral neurons have bald heads and two long braids representing their psuedounipolar morphology; satellite cells have diamond-shaped heads; Schwann cells are represented by T-shirts; and melanocytes are represented by characters drawing on dark paper. The presomitic mesoderm lineages are in red: skeletal muscle, skin, and cartilage/bone are represented as characters with heads corresponding to their morphologies. On the stage is a diagram representing the positionality axis of NMP development - the unicyclist moves down the axis from head to toe as a metaphor for the development of cells further down the rostrocaudal axis.
Artist Credit: © Ziming Jimmy Yu, 2026
Instagram: @e.l.a.kidd
Website: elakidd.carrd.co
Iyer Lab Collaboration Lead: Emily Pallack
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