Many thanks to Dr. Joe Dragavon, the BioFrontiers Advanced Light Microscopy Core, and the CU Up-Close Image Competition for their assistance in capturing and curating these photos.

Matrix stiffness affects focal adhesions (green) and cytoskeletal architecture (red). 2016, A Killaars, 3rd Place.
Stress fiber-abundant cells grown on a stiff matrix. 2016, M Schroeder & A Rodriguez Gonzalez, 2nd Place.
Cellular processes extend to interact with a 3D matrix. 2017, M Schroeder & A Rodriguez Gonzalez, 2nd Place.
Cellular processes extend to interact with a 3D matrix. 2018, M Schroeder, Honorable Mention.
Organoid crypt formation directed by network relaxation. 2018, M Yavitt & T Brown, Honorable Mention.
Expansion microscopy of microtubules throughout the cell cycle. 2019, A Günay, Honorable Mention.
aSMA+ (green) VICs express RUNX2 (red) in osteogenic media. 2019, M Schroeder, Honorable Mention.
Cardiac fibroblasts cultured on stiff hydrogels show aSMA stress fibers. 2019, T Ceccato, 3rd Place.
hMSC tubulin & nuclei visualized with increased clarity via expansion microscopy. 2019, V Rao, 2nd Place.
Tightly packed intestinal organoid nuclei are shown with color representing z-depth. 2019, M Yavitt, 1st Place.
Sex-specific disease traits: stiff, calcified nodule in male heart valve. 2020, M Schroeder, Honorable Mention.
200 micron spherical microgel scaffold supporting 3D cell culture. 2020, V Rao, Honorable Mention.
Sex-specific cardiac fibrosis-promoting cells (green) influence disease phenotypes. 2020, B Aguado, 3rd Place.
Human intestinal stem cells self-assemble into multicellular organoids. 2021, M Blatchley, 4th Place.
MSCs in a stress-relaxing network organize into fractal-like patterns. 2021, A Borelli, 2nd Place.
Actin organization in cardiac fibroblasts is controlled by an LCE substrate. 2021, N Skillin, 1st Place.
Hydrogel-confined myotubes forming a chiral torus. 2022, B Nelson, B Kirkpatrick, N Skillin, Honorable Mention.
A depth-coded image of a geometrically defined 3D cancer cell aggregate. 2022, B Kirkpatrick & D Shin, Honorable Mention.
A mechanofluorophore-containing thermoset showing green fluorescence in fractured regions following delamination. 2023, B Kirkpatrick & M Arguien, Honorable Mention.

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