Science and art converged in a celebration of student talent at the Texas Science and Natural History Museum during the three-part gala, “A Night at the Texas Science Museum: Thermodynamics in Exhibit” on Feb. 27.

For the first time as a part of Natural Sciences Week, the Natural Sciences Council (NSC) ran the event in the Texas Science and Natural History Museum. NSC’s PR Committee and the student-run creative publication of the College of Natural Sciences, Catalyst, collaborated to feature Catalyst’s creative contest winners in the first part of the exhibition.

“Science itself tells a story of things we learned about in natural systems,” said Brianna Mattis, biology senior and editor-in-chief of Catalyst. “Everything is interconnected (and) that lends itself to storytelling. It lends itself to be artistically represented (and) talked about and (sung) about.”

Catalyst opens its creative contest to students in the College of Natural Sciences every semester to feature student artists. The top three pieces typically get featured on the Catalyst website. Mattis said she wanted to elevate the contest this year by combining it with Natural Sciences Week.

“This event is important because it’s so easy to box ourselves into a stereotype of CNS major,” said Arvind Subramanian, senior public health major and NSC president. “There are different ways (someone) can think about science and one component is combining the arts with science.”

Kylie Zienke, a junior neuroscience and psychology double major and winner of the creative contest, presented her creative fiction story titled “A Brief Series of Existential Crises.” The piece featured existential questions she asked throughout her life and finding beauty in the changing world around her.

“After (performing) people kept coming up to me (saying) ‘Oh my gosh your piece was really good,” Zienke said. “I’ve never published anything, so I don’t usually have people read it. It was very validating to have people tell me ‘That was really good.’”

The second portion of the event featured musical performances representing the second law of thermodynamics, dealing with heat and energy conversion. Mattis performed a medley of The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”. The last portion allowed attendees to interact with the event by taking photos and posting them using a hashtag.

“Art lends itself to science and science lends itself to art (so) they mirror each other, they compliment each other,” Mattis said. “That’s something I’m passionate about and I hope more people tap into and (accept) it.”

During Natural Sciences Week, the NSC holds different events each day to celebrate the students of the largest college. Aside from the gala, this year’s events included Donuts & Demonstrations, Star Party at the Physics, Math and Engineering building rooftop, Wellness Day and CNS Day of Service.

“Natural Sciences Week is super special,” Subramanian said. “Our main goal is highlighting resources and providing opportunities … NSC is always looking to uplift students, and it was a rewarding experience to host these events.”