June Young Filmmakers Get Creative During Lockdown To Win National Science Video Competition

Young filmmakers from Antrim, Kildare and Cork are awarded prizes by NUI Galway for their short science communication videos

One minute films about Blood Clotting, the Immune System and ‘Germbusting Heroes’ were selected by the public as the best science videos produced at home by young filmmakers for the NUI Galway ‘ReelLIFE SCIENCE @ HOME’ competition.

More than 130 short films were made by young science communicators in homes all around Ireland, representing 80 primary schools, secondary schools and youth groups during the Covid-19 lockdown. After a shortlist was selected by a team of 40 NUI Galway College of Science and Engineering staff and students, a Twitter poll of over 1,400 members of the public awarded first prize to Year 10 student Max Kamalarajah, who won €1000 for his school, Wallace High School, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.

Max used his kitchen sink and food from his cupboards to create a memorable demonstration of how the body recruits cells and proteins during Blood Clotting (https://youtu.be/ckv4EtX8mKc). NUI Galway’s Dr Enda O’Connell noted: “This really creative use of everyday items to explain a complicated situation captured the ‘at home’ aspect of ReelLIFE SCIENCE @ HOME and it is a fantastic and novel depiction of the science of coagulation that certainly supported learning in an engaging and accessible way.”

In second place, Naas Community College Transition Year student Enya O’Reilly Huerta, won €500 for her school by producing a superbly animated and scientifically relevant video about the power of the Immune System to fight outside invaders (https://youtu.be/qPhdhNdL9jo). In third place, Sixth Class student William Stokes won €250 for Baltydaniel National School, Co. Cork, with his short video featuring four ‘Germbusting Heroes’, Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister and Alexander Fleming (https://youtu.be/9cVrJUOjQO4).

Based in NUI Galway and supported by the Science Foundation Ireland Discover programme, ReelLIFE SCIENCE challenges Irish schools and youth groups to communicate science and technology via engaging and educational short videos. Since being launched in 2013 by Dr Enda O’Connell and a team of volunteer scientists, this challenge has been met by more than 14,000 participants in 450 schools and groups around Ireland.

All videos can be viewed at www.reellifescience.com and will be screened for the public at the 2020 Galway Science and Technology Festival.

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