Drawn to Help Hack for Health!

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So here’s something I’ve never done before, participated in my first ever Hackathon and what a hack of a time I had at HealthHack2016! HealthHack brings together motivated people from diverse professional and educational backgrounds together to solve important problems in  healthcare and medical research. I love being involved in collaborations that bring different people together as we all have different experiences and skills to contribute and I thought I could help “draw out” the ideas. And what a GREAT reaction I received from the organisers and participants!

I drew some very quick sketchnotes of the opening 3-minute pitches of the HealthHack teams in Brisbane and their final 5-minute presentations, which were judged by an awesome panel of Women in STEM! Pitches ranged from fighting super bugs and helping the deaf enjoy a cinema experience to tracking antibiotic resistant bacteria and helping those with neurodiversity to navigate our urban jungles. You can see how I pictured the HealthHack ideas and solutions and view the fantastic photos from this amazing event via Flickr; which had so much energy and enthusiasm it was contagious. Thanks for having me, I’m now drawn to help hack for health: https://www.flickr.com/photos/100739735@N06/albums/72157671789329624/with/30363559876/

You can also follow my creative journey via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/drsuziestarfish/ and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

My Cephalopod Squad!

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It’s a cephalobration for Cephalopod Week!! That’s right, we are entangling ourselves in these amazing marine invertebrates who I just love to paint and draw! As you can ‘sea’ from my Cephalopod Squad these sea creatures come in many different shapes and sizes and are equipped with many special creature features! For example, the octopus has three hearts, blue blood and has the amazing ability to change colour instantly. Squid on the other hand swim backwards and shoot ink when threatened. And then there is the beautiful chambered nautilus, the living fossils of the ocean, which move by jet-propulsion! Now that’s eight or more reasons to love cephalopods and join My Cephalopod Squad!! My cephalopod artworks are as different as the creatures themselves and include watercolours, pen and watercolours, pen and ink and my first ever digital drawing of ‘Casper’ the octopus which I created with my Apple iPad pro and pencil using the Paper 53 app. This illustrates how I am using STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) in my visual storytelling about the wonders of our ocean, so please contact me if you are interested in my creative science and education. You can also follow my creative marine journey via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish on Facebook and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

‘Sea’ the life in the shallows

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To celebrate World Animal Day I wanted to showcase some of my favourite ocean creatures who live in the intertidal zone. I just LOVE the shallow areas of our coastlines as they are so full of life, easy to access and harbour such diversity and unique beauty. Like the super cute sea cucumber I’m holding here in the shallows of Lady Elliot Island, on the southern Great Barrier Reef. Did you know sea cucumbers have no brain, breathe through their bums and can vomit up their organs when in danger! Now that’s an animal worth celebrating on World Animal Day!

From a very young age I played by the sea and explored rock pools and waded through the intertidal zone so that’s where my fascination for the shallow sea began and its never gone away. You can find so many beautiful and unusual creatures in the intertidal zone, which is my kind of fun (…which you can ‘sea’ I get from my Dad in the photos). I also find the intertidal zone amazing due to its beauty and its extremes. Imagine living in a home that is constantly changing, everyday! Only the toughest of sea creatures can live here as they are adapted to living in this harsh marine environment which includes being battered by waves, changing tides, sun and wind exposure, extreme temperatures and let’s not forget the predators!

So next time you are by the sea don’t forget to ‘sea’ the life in the shallows. I know you will be amazed by what you ‘sea’!

You can follow my creative marine journey via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/drsuziestarfish/) and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

Illustrating your ideas!

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I’m having a blast this year creating infographics and illustrations for people and organisations to help ‘picture their ideas’! As you know a picture paints a thousand words and infographics provide an eye catching way of communicating your messages and ideas, particularly complex issues. I’m so lucky to be creating unique pictures for people all over the world covering a wide range of issues from coastal and marine planning, oceans and fisheries, conservation and technology through to knowledge management and sustainability concepts. My infographics and illustrations are also being used in many ways including within international conference/workshop presentations, textbooks, annual reports, websites and journal articles. You can see more of my Infographics & Illustrations and you can contact me via my email at sue.pillans@internode.on.net so I can help you to “picture your ideas“!

You can also follow my creative marine journey via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish (https://www.facebook.com/drsuziestarfish/) and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

A life of STEAM!

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I’m just loving living my life of STEAM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics! Being able to combine my devotion for the ocean and its science with my artworks and graphic recording is my creative dreams come true! As part of my life of STEAM I’m working with schools, teachers, educators and STEM-delivery organisations to provide input and advice on what I term creative education activities and ideas. I am finding that a more creative approach to science engages with many more students and ‘drawing out the science’ is a lot of fun too!! I am now a STEM role model and mentor and you can view my profiles below and on my website (https://drsuepillans.com/education/). I’m a Women in STEM role model for FabFems, which are women from a broad range of professions in STEM who can help expand girls’ career options, dispel stereotypes and spark their STEM interests! And I have just been profiled as a Queensland ‘STEM in action’ Marine Ecologist and Artist. So check out my profiles to find out how our youth can also lead a life of STEAM and turn something they love into something they live!

My STEM role model profiles: FabFem: http://www.fabfems.org/users/sue-pillans Qld STEM Education Network: http://www.queenslandstem.edu.au/steminaction/marine-ecologist-artist/

You can also follow my creative journey and connect with me via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish (https://www.facebook.com/drsuziestarfish/) and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

It’s Whale Shark Day!!

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Today is International Whale Shark Day and what a whale of a time I have had over the last two years getting up close and personal with these gentle giants of the sea. I have been so fortunate to be part of the marine research team for the Ningaloo Outlook project, a strategic research partnership between CSIRO and BHP Billiton, which has been tagging Whale Sharks in the Ningaloo Marine Park. You can follow the tracks of the Whale Sharks by logging on here: http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=1112 Through this project, and my recent work with the University of Southern Queensland and the National Girls Collaborative Project (from USA), I have also had the most amazing opportunity to visit with students and teachers to show STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) in action by using my graphic recording and art – to encourage creative thinking about our BIG ocean issues. Doing ‘shark art’ with primary school kids, sharing tagging technology with high school students and creating BIG MakerSpaces with teachers has to be the best job in the world on this Whale Shark Day!! You can follow my creative journey as Dr Suzie Starfish on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/drsuziestarfish/) and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

Think BIG, draw BIG and create BIG!

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National Science Week was so full of creative activities for me as I got to graphically record, draw and create BIG MakerSpaces with people! I got this amazing opportunity by working with a couple of inspiring women of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics), Karen Peterson the CEO of the National Girls Collaborative Project in the US and Dr Lindy Orwin of the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). My alter ego, Dr Suzie Starfish, facilitated her very own MakerSpace at USQs beautiful Toowoomba campus, with teachers and researchers. The MakerSpace was all about creating BIG thinking for our Living Oceans, by focusing on the biggest shark in the sea, the Whale Shark. The science and technology of tagging Whale Sharks was discussed, along with putting the “A” in STEAM by working with participants to create a life-sized Whale Shark on the glass walls of the MakerSpace! We then discussed ways that science and technology helps protect and manage BIG ocean species and how MakerSpaces could be more girl-friendly when focusing on these BIG STEAM issues. As you can see from the photos there was a lot of BIG FUN and CREATIVITY happening in this MakerSpace for our Living Oceans!

You can follow my creative journey via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/drsuziestarfish/) and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

Lights, camera, STEM in action!!

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What a week National Science Week has been for me!! It started with lights, camera and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) in action at the USQ Salon (University of Southern Queensland). No, this is not a beauty treatment but a place for the exchange of ideas through a real-life and functioning tv studio, at USQs beautiful Toowoomba campus. I was there to graphically record Karen Peterson’s presentations on the National Girls Collaborative Project, of which she is the CEO in the United States (see more about this project here http://ngcproject.org/). It was an honour for me to graphically record Karens presentations throughout National Science Week which also included an overview of FabFems (http://www.fabfems.org), a national database of women in STEM professions who are inspiring role models for young women, of which I’m now one!! A HUGE thank you to Dr Lindy Orwin of USQ who organised and engaged my creative services for Karen’s visit to Australia, its been such a great experience working with Women in STEM!

YOU too can take part in Karen’s STEM workshops at USQ by finding out more and registering at: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/making-your-stem-engagement-efforts-count-for-everyone-tickets-26344246350

You can follow more of my creative journey via My Blog and as my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish (https://www.facebook.com/drsuziestarfish/) on Facebook and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

The ART of Science!

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I’m SUPER excited to be part of National Science Week as I will get the opportunity to use my passions in life, art and science! I will be helping to picture how we can create the future for girls’ ESTEAMME (Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, Maker Education) in rural, regional and remote Queensland. My alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish (https://www.facebook.com/drsuziestarfish/) will be making an appearance to draw out the science of some of our BIG ocean issues. I will also have the amazing opportunity to graphically record a series of exciting presentations and discussions on STEAM outreach and education to rural, regional and remote learners, especially girls. I will be working with two incredible women, Dr Lindy Orwin from the University of Southern Queensland and Karen Peterson the CEO of the National Girls Collaborative who is visiting from the United States. A BIG thank you to Dr Lindy for this amazing opportunity! YOU can join in to the program of events http://goo.gl/hfyvpM, with some being streamed live. You can follow my creative journey via Dr Suzie Starfish on Facebook and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

I heart marine art!

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I just love hearing the stories of where my marine artworks travel to to find their new homes, whether that be to someone’s office, a kids room or hanging up in people’s homes locally or around the world. These are the latest watercolour sea creatures to be sold! Seeing the looks on people’s faces when they receive my marine artworks as gifts is probably one of the most rewarding experiences you can have as an artist. A great example is the glee shown here from Miss Kubi, a CCRES colleague in the Philippines, with her painted Pistol Shrimp (aka. the loudest shrimp in the sea). I’m hoping to start incorporating some of my artwork techniques into my graphic recording with people as well as using it in my series of kids picture books about the wonders under the sea! So stay tuned for more here soon! You can ‘sea’ more of my marine artworks in my gallery here https://drsuepillans.com/artworks/gallery/ and you can follow my creative journey as Dr Suzie Starfish on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/drsuziestarfish/) and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.