Atkins students create short instructional film

Becoming biotechnology pioneers before graduating high school wasn't on the agenda of a group of juniors at Atkins High School.

But getting a chance to create an instructional animated short on "innerspace" and the body's cell structure has enticed up to 20 students to join the BioBotz initiative at Wake Forest University.

BioBotz features male and female animated characters for dynein, kinesin and myosin -- motor proteins that walk along molecular rails to transport molecular cargo within cells. The characters look like miniature Gumbys, with the twisted torsos associated with DNA and faces that try to convey the attitude of their functions.

"A lot of people, particularly high-schoolers and younger, don't understand the functions within our cells, so this is an opportunity to make it more understandable and easier to visualize," said T'quoia Boyd, one of the Atkins students. "We're hoping this will not only inspire people to learn more about biotechnology, but also about what's going on here at Atkins."

The short video is part of a three-year project -- Visualizing Biotechnology in Four Dimensions -- that will be made available to high-school students across North Carolina.

The students gained the chance to produce the video, which is expected to be completed in February, through a $50,000 grant from the N.C. Biotechnology Center. It represents a collaborative effort by Atkins' schools of biotechnology and computer technology.

Atkins was chosen because of its proximity to institutions providing scientific and animation expertise, and because it is the only school in North Carolina with programs in both computer visualization and biotechnology, said Jed Macosko, a physics professor at Wake Forest.

Chris Thomas, one of the Atkins students, said that doing projects such as BioBotz is one of the reasons he decided to go to school there rather than his residential high school.

Tevin Withers said he likes "branching off and creating our own vision for these characters that hopefully will appeal to other high-school students."

Also involved are the Center for Biomolecular Imaging of Wake Forest University Health Sciences, the Center for Design Innovation, and faculty and students from 3-D animation programs at Winston-Salem State University, the UNC School of the Arts and Forsyth Technical Community College.

Josh Tan, an analyst and programmer for the Center for Biomolecular Imaging, said that the project is the latest interaction between the center and Atkins students.

"Atkins is a great place for education, and we need to support them," Tan said. He said that the adults are volunteering their time and expertise "to help motivate these students over the next few years."

The center's involvement is helping to create 3D models from CT and MRI data, Tan said.

"The student can zoom in from the body to the brain, and then all the way down to the cellular level," he said. "We'll be taking microscope images and converting them into 3D models, using specialized imaging software."

The BioBotz characters were created by six sophomores at Wake Forest who helped form BioBotz Inc. along with Macosko. The company has an ambitious goal of creating not just an animated short, but a story book, stuffed toys, a video game and a PBS television show for preschoolers.

"Our age enables us to merge the serious realities of the business world with the fun and fantastical world of children," the Wake students said on www.biobotz.com.

Ashley Edwards, one of the Wake students, said she's excited that the Atkins students are participating in the project.

"This is a great opportunity to start interacting with children and get them excited about the processes that occur inside the cell, and there couldn't be a better way to make sure our future products will be marketable to kids," Edwards said.

Macosko said he is excited about the project because "students who view these animations will be able to learn about biotechnology through a medium they are accustomed to watching for entertainment."

He envisions BioBotz serving the same role as rocket ship toys did in the 1960s and '70s.

"Children aspired to be astronauts and to explore space," Macosko said. "Space had always been there, but -- toys in hand -- they could finally visualize it.

"We hope this leads many of them to consider training for careers in biotechnology, a field with a need for more trained workers."

Although the Atkins students are at the brainstorming stage for the story line, they are considering a takeoff on the High School Musical movie series from Disney. The students will keep in touch over the summer with their ideas, then combine their efforts in an advanced study class for their senior year. The video also will serve as their senior project.

Freda Smith, a coordinator for the school of computer technology at Atkins, said that while organizers can't be sure that nothing of this caliber has been tried before, "these students certainly can add their own flavor to the story telling."

Atkins student Alysia Bruston said that it's never too early to think about building an impressive resume for future employers.

"Given how the economy is right now, I want to be in a position where I can have a steady job when I graduate from college," Bruston said.

"I have hope that biotechnology will be a safe career, and that it certainly won't be boring."

Other Atkins students involved in the project are David Grisgraber, Zack Zielinski, Jesus Sandoval, Natasha Griffin, Erica Smith, Paula Okafor and Jasmine Mims.

■ Richard Craver can be reached at 727-7376 or at rcraver@wsjournal.com.