VISUALIZING BIOLOGICAL DATA VIZBI

About the project

‘VizbiPlus: Visualising the Future of Biomedicine’ is a project funded by the Inspiring Australia government initiative, the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute, and CSIRO. Its goal is to train three scientists to create scientifically accurate 3D animations that explain the latest biomedical research in a way that inspires and engages the general public, and then present this work in public events to maximise the reach of the work.

The project is being led jointly by Dr Kate Patterson at the Garvan Institute, Dr Sean O’Donoghue at CSIRO and Garvan, and molecular animator Mr Drew Berry at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

Mr Berry, and his colleague at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Ms Etsuko Uno, will train three new science animators. The animations created by the project will be presented at a series of high-profile VizbiPlus outreach events at the participating organisations in 2013-2014. The animations will also be available for television broadcast and online education.

“To see a process happening, rather than hear or read about it, can make a huge difference in people’s understanding of complex scientific concepts and medical problems,” said Dr Kate Patterson, a scientist and future animator at Garvan.

“This is a great opportunity to communicate science — especially with people who may not have been exposed to these ideas in the past.”

Emmy award winner Drew Berry, who has many years of experience creating scientific animations, uses the same animation software as Pixar Animation Studios and video game creators. His work has been reaching large national audiences through television news bulletins, science documentaries and installations in museums, as well as global audiences through YouTube and international film festivals. Click here to see examples of previous work by Drew Berry and Etsuko Uno.