Slow Motion Science-Living Undersea

New MIT exhibit features high-speed underwater photography by former aquanaut Grace Young. 

Grace Young ’14 had been scuba diving in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary for more than three hours when the weight of her gear began taking its toll. Young was resting her head on the ocean floor — her legs floating upwards toward the surface, swaying in the current like seaweed — when she spotted a mantis shrimp moving in the sand. With the help of another diver, Young set up a specialized high-speed underwater camera to capture the quick-moving creature on film. The resulting three seconds of slow-motion footage reveal how the shrimp’s sand-colored eyes move to focus on its prey. Still images of this close encounter, as well as video and images of other sea life, are now on display at the Wiesner Student Art Gallery — part of the new exhibit "Undersea Phenomena in Ultra Slow Motion."

Click here to read more about this fascinating project and team.