Rensselaer researchers collaborate to produce educational animation for K-3 students

Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute today premiered the Molecularium™ show, Riding Snowflakes, a state-of-the-art computer-generated animation for digital dome theaters, designed to spark the interest of young children in the atoms and molecules that constitute our world.  Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the show’s creators have integrated advanced scientific simulations into an immersive educational animation to produce a magical, musical adventure to excite children about science.

“Today we are breaking new ground in science education,” said Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson.  “Blending the arts, science, computation and engineering, Rensselaer researchers working with professional artists and area educators have created a magical science experience.  We want to excite children about the world of science, and the Molecularium™ program is a tremendous tool to ignite their curiosity.”

The Molecularium™ is part of the educational and outreach program of Rensselaer’s National Science Foundation-funded Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures, directed by Richard W. Siegel, the Robert W. Hunt Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Rensselaer.

The Rensselaer-led team has produced a 20-minute show intended to captivate students in grades K-3 while exploring the states of matter — solid, liquid, and gas. The Molecularium™ show is designed to be projected in a planetarium theater setting, but instead of taking people from earth to space, the show takes viewers on an audio-visual journey through the molecular-scale world.

“Rensselaer’s NSEC has made significant contributions towards the development of new tools for discovery and innovative educational opportunities,” said David L. Nelson, program director, Division of Materials Research, National Science Foundation, who participated in today’s premiere. “The Molecularium is a novel example of Rensselaer’s success in integrating science and research with educational outreach.”

The Molecularium™ project was conceived and led by Linda Schadler, professor of materials science and engineering at Rensselaer, and education and outreach coordinator for Rensselaer’s NSEC.  She, Shekhar Garde, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at Rensselaer, and Siegel are the executive producers of the Molecularium™ show.

 “This pioneering effort exemplifies Rensselaer’s collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to learning and to outreach,” Schadler said.  “Today’s premier moves us from a vision of immersing children into an animated world of science, to a program that will enable children to have fun while they learn fundamental science concepts.” 

Garde led the simulation team that brought scientific accuracy to the show. Rensselaer faculty and students developed the scientific content and created software enabling the simulation and computer rendering of millions of atoms in motion. Then the accurate simulations were imported into high-end computer animation programs to be woven around computer generated characters and incorporated into a storyline by animators Steve Rein, Blake Holland, and Joshua Minges

The executive producers assembled a team of experts to bring these scientific ideas to life on screen.  The team was led by director V. Owen Bush, producer Kurt Pryzbilla, and creative director Chris Harvey.  The project team represented a partnership between Rensselaer, the NSF, The Children’s Museum of Science and Technology and NanotoonTM, which included faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, artists, visual effects engineers, chemical engineers, animators, programmers, other entertainment professionals, elementary school teachers, and museum staff.

The show premiered today at The Children’s Museum of Science and Technology in North Greenbush, NY. The show is accompanied by hands-on activities at the museum developed by Rensselaer faculty, museum staff, and area educators to enhance and further develop the concepts emphasized in the Molecularium™. 

“The Children's Museum of Science and Technology has built a solid relationship with RPI, and we are thrilled to partner with them on this Molecularium™ project,” said Maggie Vinciguerra, president of the Board of Trustees, Children's Museum of Science and Technology. “Providing children with unique and creative ways to learn about science and technology is one of our primary goals, and this new Molecularium™ show — and the dome projection unit — encourage discovery in a whole new way.”

The Molecularium™ storyline illustrates that everything is made of atoms and molecules which bond together to make all of the materials in the universe and that the mobility and structure of gases, liquids and solids are distinctly different.  Viewers are taken on a ride on a ship, which travels from the nanoscale to the galactic scale and back.  Viewers are introduced to characters named Oxy™, Carbón™, Hydro™ and Hyrdra™  (created by Leona Christie), travel along on an exploration of clouds, raindrops, and a snowflake, and watch the transformation from gases to liquids to solids. 

“The Molecularium™ provides an outstanding new opportunity for educating people of all ages and introduces a new way to see and understand the world around them,” said Siegel.

For additional information on Molecularium™ please visit www.molecularium.rpi.edu.

Contact: Mary Cimo
Phone: (518) 687-7174
E-mail: cimom@rpi.edu