page_title: Barton Rubenstein
section_title: First a Scientist
hierarchical_section_title: Barton Rubenstein / First a Scientist
caption_attribution_description: English: “Oasis” © 2004 Stainless Steel (water sculpture) Three sculptures: 8’, 6’and 4’H x approximately 3’ Diameter Three arching and twisting sculptures rise out of a bed of stones. Water glides down its surfaces and falls off its edges, creating undulating translucent sheets of water. Located in a desert climate, this lush landscaped setting for a water sculpture symbolizes both a physical oasis as well as a learning oasis created at this progressive scientific research center. Created for the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel.
context_page_description: Barton Rubenstein is a modernist American sculptor. Rubenstein has focused most of his artistic efforts on themes related to water and kinetics. He lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids.
context_section_description: He went to Haverford College, Pennsylvania, where he received a BSc in Physics (1985) and a minor in art. At the time, Rubenstein had aspirations to be a scientist and received a full scholarship to attend the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. He first obtained a MSc in Mathematics and Computer Science (1990). He then continued with his doctoral studies, culminating in a PhD in neuroscience (1994). During his time at the Weizmann Institute, his research focused on the visual brain. With his advisor, Professor Dov Sagi, he was able to resolve a 30-year-old scientific dilemma, which tried to understand how the human visual system is able to effortlessly discriminate between different types of visual textures, such as tree bark. They published their findings in the Optical Society of America (1990). Another accomplishment of his laboratory was elucidating the learning process in the brain. It was determined that after practicing a visual task, a consolidation period of at least six hours was needed before any improvement occurs. The expressions, "cramming before a test will not be of any benefit" and "sleeping on it" are adages that are supported by this research. To further this research, Rubenstein and colleagues wondered whether a certain stage of sleep was responsible for this consolidation. Their findings, reported in the Journal of Science (1994), show conclusively that the consolidation of visually learned tasks occurs during the dream stage (REM). These findings began a resurgence in the study of sleep. Rubenstein and colleagues’s research has been further cited and discussed in various publications, including Scientific American and the New York Times.
caption: Water Sculpture • "Oasis," by Barton Rubenstein, 2004, Weizmann Institute of Science,Israel
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