By Andrew Beam abeam@troyrecord.com Twitter.com/beam_record

Ryan Gilbert, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and G.E. Washington, visiting assistant professor of art at The College of Saint Rose, stand under an inflated sculpture of a ganglion knot created as a result of their unique collaboration inside RPIs Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies in Troy Friday. (J.S. Carras/The Record)

TROY A professor and scientist from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a visiting professor of art from the College of Saint Rose were both taken out of their comfort zones to create artistic and educational works based on research being conducted into stem cell technologies and the repair of spinal cord injuries.

The exhibit, titled A Walk Through the Nervous System: Artists View of Nerves and Spinal Cord Injury opened Friday with the hope of making it easier for the community at large to better comprehend not only how nerves work but also how injures affect the spinal cord.

Dr. Ryan Gilbert, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at RPI, received a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, $10,000 to $20,000 of which is earmarked for community awareness and outreach. The remainder of the grant funds the research Gilbert and his colleagues are conducting in the departments laboratories.

Gilbert said the department is working with biomaterials on both a nano and micro scale, and in the future hopes to implant them into the spinal cord to regenerate it. Currently, Gilbert explained, when someone injures his or her spinal cord, there is not only the potential for paralysis, but also for permanent damage, as no cure exists yet.

To show exactly what materials Gilbert and his colleagues are working with, department head Deepak Vashishth reached out to Washington, a visiting assistant professor of art at the College of Saint Rose, and his colleagues to help create pieces of art to represent them.

Washington said he spoke with Gilbert about the project. After listening to Gilbert explain some of the materials he was working with and realizing the interest he had in what he was doing, Washington himself became more interested in the project.

Its very interesting and sexy work, Washington said.

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Scientist, artist collaborate on exhibit about spinal cord injuries