After a successful pilot summer in 2011 we decided early in 2012 to enhance the VIP experience for our interns by adding animation production to the already comprehensive video production training. Animation skills have allowed us to re-imagine ways to communicate and leverage content/information sharing and thus engage faculty in those conversations as well.

We asked faculty two specific questions:

1. What do you teach extremely well that you would like to share with others?
2. What do you find yourself teaching over and over in class that might be packaged for distribution/study before or after class instead?

This led to “Teaching Moments“ project proposals, ranging from the deconstruction of a complex literary theory to reviewing equipment use and procedure for successful fruit fly dissection. Overall, the eight projects produced range in length from 4 – 12 minutes each, and a fairly even format distribution between all video, all animation or mixed video with animation.

The 2012 Projects:

Faculty: Christopher Bolton Title: Animating Poststructuralism
Art & Animation by Galen Corey

Faculty: Kasumi Yamamoto Title: Japanese Kanji Basics
Art & Animation by Robin Gimm

Faculty: Hank Art Title: Cation Exchange Phenomena
Edited & animated by Robin Gimm; Videography by Ralston Louie

Faculty: Tim Lebestky Title: Larval Brain Dissection in Drosophila melanogaster
Filmed & edited by Ralston Louie

Faculty: Hank Art Title: Coliform Bacteria Analysis
Animated & edited by Galen Corey; videography by Ralston Louie

Faculty: Jonathan Isham (Middlebury College)
Title: Social Entrepreneurship in the Liberal Arts
Animated & edited by Robin Gimm

Faculty: Steve Miller Title: From Chess to Duality: Optimization and Linear Programing.
Filmed & edited by Ralston Louie; animations by Galen Corey