American science communicator and data visualizer
Kimberly Kowal Arcand (born December 20, 1975) is a data visualizer and science communicator for NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. She is also the visualization coordinator for the Aesthetics and Astronomy image response project at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard &amp; Smithsonian located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Early life and education.
As a child, Arcand wanted to be an astronaut. She studied molecular biology at the University of Rhode Island and also became a developer for the University of Rhode Island Center for Vector-Borne Disease Public Health project. She was awarded a fellowship with the Rhode Island Public Health Partnership to work on Lyme disease. Arcand studied briefly at the Harvard University Department between 2000 and 2002. In 2013 Arcand earned a Master's degree in Public Humanities from Brown University, focusing on image and meaning research. In 2020, Arcand completed her doctorate at the University of Otago in visualization science, under the supervision of Lisa Smith. She worked in the University of Rhode Island Department of Computer Science as an instructor between 1997 and 1999. She joined the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Chandra X-ray Observatory in 1998.
Career.
In 2009 Arcand launched "From Earth to the Universe" with UNESCO. She is the visualization coordinator of the Aesthetics and Astronomy image response project at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard &amp; Smithsonian. The project launched in 2010 and looks at variations in the presentation of color and scale in astronomical images. The team also studies how people respond to images, and the misconceptions that non-experts have when they view them. The project began when Randall, Jeffrey, and Lisa F. Smith realized that the art would provide astrophysicists a more effective way in conveying the results to a much larger audience. The group explored the public perception of astronomical pictures using a survey linked to the NASA Astronomical Picture of the Day site.
She worked closely with UNESCO to celebrate the International Year of Light, an open-source exhibition that showcased science based on light. The celebration was supported by SPIE. Using NASA data, Arcand developed a way to 3D print a supernova remnant.
In 2016 the White House selected Arcand as a "changemaker" at the United State of Women Summit. where she wrote about the event for HuffPost. In 2017 Vinita Marwaha Madill's profiled her on "Rocket Women". Arcand also serves on the boards of Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art (RIMOSA). and Rhode Island's Tech Collective. In 2019, Arcand collaborated with the Smithsonian Institution to launch the "Journey through an Exploded Star” 3-D Interactive Experience website.
Honors and awards.
Arcand has won several awards for her work from NASA and the Smithsonian Institution.
Publications.
Authored and co-authored.
Arcand has written several popular science books. Her book "Colouring the Universe" was selected by Cosmos as one of the Top Illustrated Science Books of 2016. She collaborates with Megan Watzke and Travis Rector, Ph.D. Her book "Light: The Visible Spectrum and Beyond" was selected by Forbes as one of the Top 10 Gifts of 2016.
References.
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