Piece description from the artist
Precision and accuracy are important concepts in measurement science, and are key concepts in Applied Physics. They don not mean the same thing. A measurement is precise when the value is highly reproducible. An accurate measurement returns values that are close to the expected real value. Ideally one wants both qualities.
The drawing is a playful depiction of the concept, with circles of a variety of sizes and qualities arrayed near the center of the drawing (some accuracy, but low precision). These contrast with clusters of more similar and closely spaced circles located off-center (some precision, low accuracy). There are also a few that are precise enough to be concentric, and are accurate enough to be close to the center.
Aside from the cheeky depiction of the concept, the drawing expresses a feature of all of the pieces in my Idea Cycles series, the interplay of freehand drawing versus compass, ruler and template assisted figures. The manner in which these features interact suggests the differences between precision and accuracy in a number of ways. Compass drawn circles are precisely circular, with their centers accurately placed where intended. Free hand shapes are less precisely geometric, but their placement is highly accurate as is their reflection of artist's intent. The shapes added with inking templates are also precisely geometric, but more difficult to accurately place. Their tendency to bleed and smudge affects both the accuracy and precision of line widths and edges (accuracy because the width and roughness vary, precision because the variation is highly random in location direction and magnitude).
Dr. Regina Valluzzi has an extensive scientific background in nanotechnology and biophysics. She has been a scientist in the chemical industry, a green chemistry researcher, a research professor at the engineering school at Tufts, a start-up founder engaged in technology commercialization, and a start-up and commercialization consultant.
Even during periods of intense activity as a scientist, Dr. Valluzzi has always held a strong interest in the visual arts and in visual information. While she majored in Materials Science at MIT, she also obtained a second degree in music and a minor in visual studies. Visual arts have managed to permeate her technical work; during her Ph.D in Polymer Science and Engineering at UMass Amherst, she completed a thesis that required advanced electron microscopy, image analysis, and theoretical data modeling. These experiences provided the visual insight and information that now influences much of her artwork.
Dr. Valluzzi’s work has been included in private collections across the US, UK, Germany, Canada, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Dubai and Malta, and in the corporate collection of "Seyfarth Shaw" Boston law offices around Boston. She has a selection of pieces on loan to the MIT Materials Science and Engineering Department as indoor public art. Her accomplishments include having published thirty articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, having made several scientific patents, having been a subject matter expert for an encyclopedia chapter, and having been invited to speak at science talks across the US, Europe, and Japan.
Her newsletter is a good source of ongoing information: http://eepurl.com/daiLQ
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