The Smail Gallery in Olin-Rice is now hosting a new exhibit entitled “Rivers of North America from Space.” According to those involved with the exhibit, “Rivers of North America from Space” fulfills the gallery’s intended purpose of displaying the artistic side of science.

Mathematics Professor Stan Wagon, Geology Professor Kelly MacGregor, and the Biology department held an official opening for the exhibit earlier this semester. Wagon, who coordinated the exhibit along with MacGregor, introduced the Smail Gallery’s seventh and newest exposition.

“[We chose the exhibit because the] visual beauty and intrinsic scientific, particularly geologic, value would be perfect for the Smail Gallery,” said Macgregor, who is the curator of the gallery this year.

After the introduction, John Dohrenwend, the creator and distributor of the images on display addressed the crowd of nearly 30 people. Dohrenwend, who received his Ph. D. from Stanford University, is a geomorphologist formerly with the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Dohrenwend explained some of the technical aspects of his satellite images. He said a Thematic Mapper (TM) scanner located on the Landsat 5 and 7 satellite systems captured the pieces on display. The Thematic Mapper scans the earth’s surface from about 430 miles above the Earth.

The Thematic Mappers, Dohrenwend said, are able to collect such stunning images because the Landsat satellites are programmed to collect images in the mid-morning, when there are fewer clouds.

Dohrenwend said he takes the original images from the satellites, digitalizes it, and enhances it with yellows and greens for plant life, blues for water, and an array of neutrals for rocks and soil.

The exhibit is composed of 12 visuals accompanied by captions. Pieces in the exhibit include views of the Mississippi River, the Colorado River, and Mt. Saint Helens. Dohrenwend created a special aerial view of the Mississippi River, Minnesota River and St. Croix River for the opening at Macalester.

During the opening, Dohrenwend discussed his pieces’ scientific and artistic merits by highlighting one of his prints, which is a composition of six images of the Mississippi River. The piece depicts the flood of 1993 starting with a scan of the river before the flood in 1992 and ending with an image of the river in late 1993, after the flood’s end. Dohrenwend said that this sequence of images allowed researchers to compare pre- and post-flood conditions and monitor the mineralogical and chemical changes in the riverbed throughout the flood.

The “Rivers of North America from Space” exhibit will be available for viewing all year. “Anyone walking through Olin-Rice can both appreciate the beauty of the planet, and learn something about the history—both geologic and human—of some of these rivers,” MacGregor said.

MacGregor and Wagon coordinated this year’s exhibit.

Prints of the pieces are available for purchase from Southwest Satellite Imaging, with prices ranging from $15 to $70 per print.

Last year the Smail gallery featured photographs of wildlife done by Jim Brandenburg.