Caption: Pupa Gilbert, a professor of physics, holds an abalone shell on June 18, 2007, in her office in Chamberlin Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gilbert and her colleagues are studying how the microscale architecture of mother-of-pearl, the iridescent material that lines abalone shells, makes it 3,000 times more fracture-resistant than its mineral building blocks. Gilbert's former publication name is Gelsomina De Stasio.
Photo by: Jeff Miller
Date: June 2007
300 DPI JPEG

Caption: Pupa Gilbert, a professor of physics, poses on June 18, 2007, in her office in Chamberlin Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gilbert's former publication name is Gelsomina De Stasio.
Photo by: Jeff Miller
Date: June 2007
300 DPI JPEG

Caption: Pupa Gilbert, a professor of physics, poses on June 18, 2007, in her office in Chamberlin Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gilbert's former publication name is Gelsomina De Stasio.
Photo by: Jeff Miller
Date: June 2007
300 DPI JPEG

Caption: Pupa Gilbert, a professor of physics, holds an abalone shell on June 18, 2007, in her office in Chamberlin Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gilbert and her colleagues are studying how the microscale architecture of mother-of-pearl, the iridescent material that lines abalone shells, makes it 3,000 times more fracture-resistant than its mineral building blocks. Gilbert's former publication name is Gelsomina De Stasio.
Photo by: Jeff Miller
Date: June 2007
300 DPI JPEG

Caption: Light reflects from the semi-transparent layers of mother-of-pearl, the iridescent material that lines abalone shells, on June 18, 2007, in the office of University of Wisconsin-Madison physics professor Pupa Gilbert. Gilbert and her colleagues are studying how the microscale architecture of mother-of-pearl makes it 3,000 times more fracture-resistant than its mineral building blocks. Gilbert's former publication name is Gelsomina De Stasio.
Photo by: Jeff Miller
Date: June 2007
300 DPI JPEG

Caption: Light reflects from the semi-transparent layers of mother-of-pearl, the iridescent material that lines abalone shells, on June 18, 2007, in the office of University of Wisconsin-Madison physics professor Pupa Gilbert. Gilbert and her colleagues are studying how the microscale architecture of mother-of-pearl makes it 3,000 times more fracture-resistant than its mineral building blocks. Gilbert's former publication name is Gelsomina De Stasio.
Photo by: Jeff Miller
Date: June 2007
300 DPI JPEG