UNR grad student wins optical illusion contest – Reno Gazette

Christopher Blair, a University of Nevada, Reno graduate psychology student, won the 2014 Best Illusion of the Year Contest, which was hosted by the Neural Correlate Society in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Visual illusions contribute to the understanding of the basic mechanisms of sensory perception.

Blair presented the Dynamic Ebbinghaus Illusion, which begins with a static image of a circle surrounded by a set of circles. The image is transformed into a moving display and, as it moves, the center circle appears to change in size, though it actually does not.

Blair worked on this illusion for more than a year under the guidance of Gideon Caplovitz, a UNR assistant professor of psychology, and Ryan Mruczek, a faculty research scientist in the College of Liberal Arts’ Department of Psychology.

Caplovitz has helped earn a top-10 spot for a UNR-submitted illusion in three of the last four years and earned third place in 2006.

“The mission of the contest is to highlight the role of illusions in the study of visual perception and the visual brain and create a bridge of our research to the general public,” Caplovitz said.

More than 30 illusions were submitted and the top 10 illusions were chosen on their scientific merit to be presented at the contest in May. The best illusion was chosen by a popular audience vote at the event.

Caplovitz said the scientific community was drawn to Blair’s winning illusion not only because of the large dramatic effect, but also because it highlights for the first time the role image-dynamics play in the representation of size in the brain.

Here is the link to Blair’s winning optical illusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRlWqfd5pn8

DRI scientist honored by national aircraft society

John Hallett, an atmospheric physicist at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, has been awarded the Losey Atmospheric Sciences Award.

He received the award last month during the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics forum in Atlanta, Ga. The AIAA is world's largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession.

An emeritus member of DRI, Hallett has done extensive research on aircraft safety and how ice crystal formation in clouds affect aircraft.

He was honored by the AIAA for “outstanding scholarship that has led to a better understanding of the fundamental processes of cloud microphysics and for exceptional leadership as a mentor and a teacher of atmospheric physics.”

Hallett has been with DRI since 1966 after earning his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Bristol.

“I’m honored to receive this award,” said Hallett, who’s most recent research has been focused on the complex inner workings of thunderstorms and their implications to changing climate scenarios. “The AIAA serves a critical role in connecting atmospheric scientists around the world.”

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