It’s the year 1960, and you are asked this question: Which would you donate $10 toward: Research to develop an affordable treatment for diabetes OR basic research on how bacteria protect themselves? What would your answer be?
Those of you who are scientists likely recognize this as a trick question. However, it’s a great way to get a viewer interested in watching a video about why basic research is important. The video was created by five graduate students and a post-doctoral scientist and recently won a national video contest called “Stand Up For Science“. Take a look:
It’s not a matter of if, but when the zombie apocalypse will strike.
Those of you who are fans of the AMC TV series, The Walking Dead, know that zombies (aka “walkers”) zero in on human victims through smell (and sound, which is why it’s better not to use guns in the event of a zombie apocalypse). Survivors sometimes camouflage themselves by smearing putrified zombie blood and gore on their skin. They then become invisible to the zombie walkers who shamble past the humans as if they did not exist. The main drawbacks are (1) you have to “kill” and gut a zombie to get the material, (2) you end up with a disgusting coating of goop, and (3) it needs replenishing to ensure the human odor is masked.
In a recent video, the American Chemical Society suggests, tongue-in-cheek, that it may be possible to create a zombie death cologne fabricated from a few key chemicals extracted from decaying flesh. This is a much better idea than the gut and smear approach; when you need to go out for a supply run, just spritz on the zombie cologne and you are good to go.
The video uses the public’s fascination with zombies as a way to teach viewers about chemistry. The video features a real chemist, Dr. Raychelle Burks, who explains how several compounds such as cadaverine and putrescine contribute to the characteristic bouquet of decaying flesh.
The video is part of a series, called Reactions, which is produced by the American Chemical Society. I think you’ll agree that this video is effective, informative, and entertaining:
Now, if they would just create a sand fly repellant that really works…..
Note: I created the animated image with Cinegif (www.cinegif.com).
Periodically, I feature a science video created by students. In this post, I would like to point you to a nice video produced by Reza M. Namin, an undergraduate student in mechanical engineering at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Iran. He is also doing research on the physics of fluids, specifically a phenomenon known as a “floating water bridge”, which was recently published in Physical Review and featured in Science Magazine’s ScienceShot. To better share their findings with others, Reza and his collaborators (fellow students and professors) created an informative and professional video, which describes the floating water bridge, how he and fellow students became interested in it, and how their research helps explain the forces behind the phenomenon.
Are you curious yet about what a floating water bridge is? Watch the video:
The video not only does a wonderful job of explaining the phenomenon but also shows how scientists go about testing hypotheses with a series of experiments. It’s a good example of how a video can complement a technical article and enhance understanding of the science. I liked how team members explained different aspects of the research, which were nicely illustrated with images, drawings, and other visuals. Most importantly, I was able to understand and follow the information provided in the video, even though fluid dynamics is not something I know much about. Great job, guys!
I hope to feature more student videos, so if you’ve produced one or seen one that you liked, please let me know.
Are you thinking about making a video but are afraid of looking like an amateur? I get a lot of questions about shooting video, but most often about what equipment to buy. My response usually is that the equipment is not as important as knowing how to shoot and edit the film properly. If you make amateurish mistakes while filming or editing, it doesn’t matter if you used a $500 or a $5,000 camera. I know, because I’ve made a lot of those beginner mistakes.
When we adopt a new technique or purchase new equipment, we quickly discover that knowledge of what NOT to do is as important as learning what to do. When I worked for a government science agency, I wrote many SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) that were supposed to be followed by members of my research group. However, I found that in addition to writing a step-by-step description of how to conduct a procedure, I also needed to include a list of actions that should be avoided. The latter were typically things that an expert would have picked up through trial and error but that often were not mentioned in the standard instruction manual. I even discovered that I needed to write an SOP on how to use an SOP (those of you in government service will appreciate the irony in that).
I’ve previously posted some of the most common mistakes that beginners make in creating their first video, but they bear repeating. Below is my list of mistakes to avoid when making a video, with emphasis on the scientist as videographer. Below the list is an embeddable slideshow with additional information about each one.
Can you guess where this photograph was taken? Hint: Not too far from Mordor. Photo by K.L. McKee (usage: please attribute and link to this site)
I’ve had a great time planning, writing, and creating videos to share new ideas or equipment with those of you interested in science videography. My book grew out of this blog and was particularly satisfying to complete. I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback from readers and viewers, and the viewing stats show that a lot of people are searching for information about making videos (science and otherwise). You might be curious as to which of my posts/videos have the most views:
These rankings partly reflect how long they’ve been available, but for the most part are also the ones that get the most daily views. In any case, I thought I would list them here for any new readers who might have missed them. I’m now working on some new tutorials and posts that I hope to upload in the coming weeks. One will be a tutorial showing how to use Prezi to create a visual abstract—which is something that authors might find useful to raise the online visibility of their articles.
So, I would like to end by thanking those loyal readers/viewers who follow this blog (or my video channel). Please leave a comment occasionally so I know what content you like and dislike. If you have any suggestions for tutorials or reviews you would like to see in the future, please drop me a note in the comments section or by email.
