Scientists and artists: ""Hey! You got art in my science! You got science on my art

The pairing of science and art has proven to be a powerful combination since the Renaissance. The combination of these two seemingly disparate disciplines ensured that even complex scientific theories could be explored and effectively communicated to both the subject matter expert and the layman. In modern times, science and art have frequently been considered disjoint, with objectives, philosophies, and perspectives often in direct opposition to each other. However, given the technological advances in computer science and high fidelity 3-D graphics development tools, this marriage of art and science is once again logically complimentary. Art, in the form of computer graphics and animation created on supercomputers, has already proven to be a powerful tool for improving scientific research and providing insight into nuclear phenomena. This paper discusses the power of pairing artists with scientists and engineers in order to pursue the possibilities of a widely accessible lightweight, interactive approach. We will use a discussion of photo-realism versus stylization to illuminate the expected beneficial outcome of such collaborations and the societal advantages gained by a non-traditional pa11nering of these two fields.