Event 3: [SUN]Flower Plasma & the SOLAR MAXIMUM w/ Professor Vesna and Haley Marks

 


I was extremely excited for my third event when Professor Vesna invited the class to her [SUN]Flower and Plasma and the SOLAR MAXIMUM lecture! I am in the screenshot above, with Professor Vesna seemingly on the sun, her background illuminated with vibrant hues of red. Right off the bat, the professor spoke with passion when introducing the nuclear fusion breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility on December 13th, 2022. Laser technology is used at the Nuclear Ignition Facility, and its impact on fusion has been immense. She worked with Dr. Walter Geckelmen, a plasma physicist focused on alpha waves, at UCLA for over 15 years! It was helpful when the professor pulled up a video introducing the technology of a large plasma device used in experiments studying magnetic ropes and solar physics. Although it was hard to follow because the concepts, science, and technology are new to me, the discussion of solar energy on Earth's radiation belts and the need for artificial control was fascinating. 


This screenshot was part of the discussion on the impact of solar flares on human health, including cardiovascular disease and mental health disorders. Alexander Chizhevsky's research on solar flares showed a correlation between human behavior and global events. When the solar flares were at a maximum, there were more wars and human activity on Earth. Although further studies need to be made to prove and confirm these hypotheses, there is seemingly an intuitive theory that weather impacts human behavior, and the sun is the most significant impact source. 

Professor Vesna showed a video of the Fiat Lux Course and student excursion where students visited the National Ignition Facility. The course highlights "Physics and Art = Energy" based on the NIF breakthrough. 

I asked myself why the lecture was named [SUN]Flower Plasma & the SOLAR MAXIMUM. This was when Professor Vesna introduced Dr Haley Marks, who gave us a sunflower 101 class explaining self-pollination and the role of bees. 

Dr. Marks showed her research on sunflower microscopy, including autofluorescence and extended depth of field techniques. She uses various microscopy techniques and resolutions, as shown in the screenshot above, to depict sunflowers in different orientations and scopes. Bee navigation is related to the impact of solar storms on their ability to find hives. 


Here is a slide explaining the background of the sunflower plasma project, including the use of plasma in food systems. The experiment involves treating sunflower seeds with different types of plasma. Sound installations also include solar wind data, plasma machine recordings, and field recordings. These installations are placed on Governor's Island, with large sunflower fields. 

As the lecture ended, Professor Vesna emphasized the impact of solar flares on human health and the importance of self-care. Dr Marks talked about the broader implications of solar flares on various organisms and the importance of the sunflower as a symbol. I found the connection of sunflowers to plasma and microscopy technology to be vivid and imaginative in the photography representations, just as solar flares emitting from the sun to be glorious. 

I have so many screenshots of the lecture that I can't post them all because each screenshot was a fascinating depiction or informative slide of the [SUN]Flower Plasma project. 

The last shot shows the initial imaging season of a single sunflower floret. The imaging is actually the side profile of a sunflower. Under different autofluorescence, the image can be seen in another way for research purposes. I found this to be super cool!


Before this lecture, I'm embarrassed to admit that I had never heard of solar maximum. I am now proud to say that I know solar maximum is the peak of the sun's 11-year cycle. 


At the maximum, as the image shows, there are a high number of sunspots because of the increased activity of the sun. During this period, the sun's magnetic field is extremely active and disturbed, and there are frequent coronal mass ejections and solar flares that affect the Earth. Just recently, an X2.7 class eruption caused radio blackouts across Asia and Europe. 

I am so glad I got to sit in and learn about what Professor Vesna has been passionately working on. She said at one point in the lecture that she is just an artist, but how she represents being an artist has so much depth, nuance, and collaboration that it inspires me and I'm sure many others. 

References

ABOUT – [SUN]Flower Plasma. (n.d.). https://sunflowerplasma.com/about/

Jones, A. M. (2025, May 21). How space weather impacts us: A look at some of the worst solar storms in history. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/solar-flares-geomagnetic-storms-1.7539461

NASA Goddard. (2024, October 15). What is Solar Maximum? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E65T2AV-EjM

[SUN]Flower Plasma | UCLA Art | Sci Center + Lab. (n.d.). https://artsci.ucla.edu/node/1746

Wikipedia contributors. (2025i, May 23). Coronal mass ejection. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection


Image Citations

"Everything you wanted to know about the solar cycle" video image, 2023, July 15. https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/14/world/solar-maximum-activity-2024-scn





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