Published April 30, 2026

MFA Winner in the Art of Research Competition, Deirdre Harder

Harder's photograph of her sculpture 42.84119° N, 78.79326° W won the Cultural Insights and Interpretations, in the 2026 Art of Research competition.

Woman stands next to a poster image of a sculpture made out of rusty scrap metal, assembled in an old shopping cart, displayed on a pallet in front of a white wall.

Deirdre Harder, with poster of 42.84119° N, 78.79326° W, at Art of Research Competition reception, April 28, 2026. Image courtesy of the artist

Sculpture made out of rusty scrap metal, assembled in an old shopping cart, displayed on a pallet in front of a white wall.

Deirdre Harder, 42.84119° N, 78.79326° W, image courtesy of the artist

About the Cultural Insights and Interpretations winning work

42.84119° N, 78.79326° W

By: Deirdre Harder, MFA Candidate

Department of Art, College of Arts and Sciences

42.84119° N, 78.79326° W is an assemblage of objects removed from Cazenovia Creek after a fish population survey. Meticulously gathering, cleaning, and cataloguing the trash became a chance to reflect on the creatures that call this watershed home. Many of the objects can be traced to their origins: golf balls from the adjacent Olmsted Parks course, soda cans thrown from cars roaring overhead on I-90, and industrial metal from the derelict railroad bridge. The dense layering of these materials creates pockets of shelter and shadow that parallel nature's tendency to reclaim human debris as makeshift habitat. The line in my field notes read: “High volume of metal trash in water and on shore.” By giving a physical form to that data, this work explores how science and art together can inspire deeper awareness and care for the ecosystems that tenaciously survive around us. 42.84119° N, 78.79326° W is an invitation to look up the location, to visit, and to notice what we leave behind in places we never think about.

Art of Research Competition

The Art of Research competition celebrates the extraordinary research of University at Buffalo graduate students and postdoctoral scholars through a showcase of original images highlighting the inherent beauty in research, scholarship and creative activity. The Art of Research competition seeks to provide a stage for researchers from all disciplines to make their research accessible to broad public audiences.

Award categories include:

  • Precision and Detail
  • Innovation and Technology
  • Field Work and Exploration
  • Data Visualization
  • Cultural Insights and Interpretations
  • AI Research Unveiled
  • Collaboration, Teamwork and Community Impact
  • People's Choice

Eligibility

  • Currently enrolled University at Buffalo graduate students.
  • Currently appointed University at Buffalo postdoctoral scholars.
  • Finalists from previous years may not resubmit the same image. However, they are welcome to enter again with a new image submission.
Three people standing in Atrium of a sceince museum, with shadow of a dinosaur skeleton cast on the wall behind them.

Deirdre Harder, Reese Betts, and Sudi Wang, at Art of Research Competition reception, April 28, 2026, Buffalo Museum of Science. 

Betts and Wang were finalists for the competition.

Three people standing in Atrium of a science museum, looking at posters on easels around the edges of the room.

Art of Research Competition reception, April 28, 2026, Buffalo Museum of Science.