Inspiring images: Engineering captured on camera

From rainbow coloured liquid-crystal molecules, to  tunnels deep under the ground, this year's entries from the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering photo competition help to bring engineering brightly and vividly to life. The winning images tell wonderful stories of engineering students, researchers and academics seeking to discover new scientific truths and advance technology - Philip Guildford Laser light diffracted by a hologram, microscopic details from a man-made fabric and  photos from the deepest tunnels of the London Underground are among an array of stunning images which have been put online following the annual photographic competition at the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering. The competition aims to show that engineering is not only about fixing machines and building bridges, but involves everything from studying objects and processes in microscopic detail, to building towering structures. The winning images can be viewed online from today via the University's website, www.cam.ac.uk , where they can be accessed alongside dozens of other entries. The competition, sponsored by Zeiss, international leaders in the fields of optics and optoelectronics, had five categories this year; alongside those for first, second and third place, prizes were awarded for a micrograph captured using an electron microscope, the Zeiss SEM prize, and a Head of Department's prize for the photo or video with the most innovative engineering story behind it.