MDI Biological Laboratory
Microscopy

Frederic Bonnet Wins First Place in International Imaging Contest

  • November 17, 2025
Recognition adds to MDI Bio Lab's growing roster of award-winning images produced in its Light Microscopy Facility, located in the Kathryn W. Davis Center for Regenerative Biology and Aging

Frederic Bonnet, Ph.D., Director of MDI Biological Laboratory’s Light Microscopy Facility, won first place in the BioImaging North America 2025 Imaging Contest — an international competition that draws submissions from research institutions across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The winning image, a striking close-up of a nocturnal butterfly, reflects both Bonnet’s technical skill and his philosophy that great images come as much from curiosity and patience as from cutting-edge equipment.

The image’s origin was disarmingly simple. Bonnet needed a sample, and the competition’s deadline was approaching. And there, on the floor of his car, lay a handful of dead insects. One of them a delicate nocturnal butterfly — became the centerpiece of the award-winning composition.

Because the insect autofluoresces by absorbing ultraviolet light and re-emitting it at wavelengths that humans can see,  the sample required no staining or processing. Placed directly under the microscope, it revealed a luminous architecture of scales and structures that needed only careful adjustment, not elaborate preparation.

“I used an older microscope that’s out of date by today’s standards, that we keep as a backup,” Bonnet said “This is a good example of how technology is nothing if you don’t know how to use it properly. And if you take time and fine tune everything, you can get a competition-level images, a really nice image.”

Also, this season an image by MDI Bio Lab Digital Image Analyst Hannah Somers was honored in the Nikon Small World Photomicrography contest.  For Bonnet, competitions such as these are not simply about winning. They are catalysts for creativity, professional development, and visibility.

They encourage staff and trainees to explore the aesthetic side of science and to demonstrate the quality of their work to the broader imaging community. “As a group, it’s important,” he explains. A strong showing signals that a small facility with limited resources can compete — and be recognized — alongside far larger institutions.

Frederic Bonnet

Frederic Bonnet, Ph.D., Director of the Light Microscopy Facility

This year’s first-place award builds on a growing record of recognition: increased participation from MDI Bio Lab users, broader attention from the BINA network, and the appearance of Somers’ image in National Geographic.

Bonnet notes that the LMF was also recognized for BINA North America’s “facility award”, for submitting the most images for consideration in 2025, the fifth year in a row. Laboratory contributors this year included Bonnet and Somers, as well as Ian Davis, Travis D. Carney, Ph.D., Caramai Kamei, Ph.D., and Romain Menard.

Each milestone reinforces a basic message: the Light Microscopy Facility is producing work of international caliber, driven by curiosity, technical mastery, and a shared commitment to excellence.