BioVis 2011 Abstract

Animating Cell Biology for Research and Teaching Janet Iwasa

In recent years, there has been a rapid growth in the use of animation as a means to communicate complex biological processes to a wide range of audiences. Using 3D animation software from the entertainment industry, it is possible for animation experts to synthesize data from diverse sources to create a coherent and contextualized view of how molecular and cellular systems operate. These visualizations have served not only to make molecular concepts more accessible to students and the public at large, but have also proven to be extremely useful for researchers seeking to build and refine their hypotheses. New efforts are now underway to create molecular biology-centric 3D animation software for biologists to use in their research efforts.