Illustrations by Scott Rawlins, Professor of Scientific Illustration, were among those featured on National Public Radio’s “Science Friday” program on July 6 in a story on “The Artists Behind Your Elementary School Science Textbooks.”

“Maybe you’ve experienced a similar phenomenon—that sensation of being blown away by a drawing or animation of a scientific concept,” said NPR’s Katherine Wells. “Have you ever wondered about the people behind those illustrations? It’s not scientists. There’s a whole league of artists who specialize in science illustration.

“The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators—founded in 1968 by a group of Smithsonian Institution illustrators—celebrates the work of artists who create drawings like the one that caught Bryson’s fourth-grade eye. The annual exhibit of guild members’ work, ‘The Art in Science,’ is on display at North Carolina State University through early August.”

NPR featured the guild’s slideshow representing the 2010 annual juried exhibit of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators.

“Our goal is to assemble a body of work that not only presents the highest level of ability but also represents the variety of subject matter and rendering techniques that characterizes work in our field of illustration for science,” according to the guild’s description. “From centuries-old pen and ink techniques to high-tech digital animations, this exhibit highlights some of the most exciting work being done in the science illustration community.”