The purpose of The Biological and Pre-Medical Illustration Club, also known as the BPMI Club, is to provide an environment in which students, especially those affiliated with our major, can learn and nurture skills in art and science in order to be knowledgeable and successful in their studies at ISU and future careers. This club works closely with the BPMI / Scientific Illustration and Visualization Program to focus on providing students an opportunity to meet others with similar interests, to draw from and be inspired by nature, and to meet professionals working at the intersection of science and art through events, talks, and field trips.
Professional Day
Professional Day is a featured event for our program where every student, staff, and faculty is in attendance at the end of each semester for a program-wide artwork critique. The BPMI Club features club events and participation opportunities at Professional Day. Find out more by visiting the Student Experiences page.
Past Events
- In April, BPMI Club students visited the Rockford Fossil and Prairie Center to hike, hunt for fossils, and sketch fossilized sea life from the Devonian Period.
- BPMI Alumna, Rylie Groves, came to campus to lead a workshop in stained glass techniques and art-making.
- The BPMI Club traveled to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium for a fun-filled day of enjoying animals and sketching.
- The club has regularly organized a field trip to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to see the clinic’s Medical Illustration department to see where and how the medical illustrators work. There is a helpful informal critique session where the Mayo professionals provide feedback on student illustration work.
- The club organizes several social events throughout the year such as field trips to Ledges State Park, movie nights, and games.
- In the past, BPMI Club attended the Frank Armitage Lecture Series at University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC). This is two-day event celebrates the work of Frank Armitage, hosts an inspiring lineup of speakers from the field, and connects our students with graduate students from UIC and University of Toronto to present share about graduate programs in Medical Illustration. An all-student informal critique also contributed invaluable feedback on student portfolios.
- Each semester, the BPMI Club has a social event that helps the club members get to know each other. These have ranged from picnics, sledding, and pumpkin carving to “BPMI Pictionary”, “Friendsgiving”, and fun arts and crafts events.
- Our club also brings in alumni to show us the kind of career we can get after graduation. This helps our networking skills to know more people in the scientific illustration and visualization business.