Minister for Education Launches Animated TV Science Series by CTVR during Science Week at Trinity College
Posted on: 13 November 2006
The Resistors!, a new animated television series for young people which incorporates elements of the science curriculum produced by the Centre for Telecommunications Value Chain Research (CTVR) was launched on November 12, the first day of Science Week, by the Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, at an outdoor screening in Trinity College’s Front Square.
The Resistors! forms part of an educational outreach programme developed by CTVR, a new €69 million national telecommunications research centre¹ headquartered in TCD. The programme includes the TV series and interactive games and experiments on the web, all using animated superheroes. The interactive web-based experiments and teaching materials were developed with second level science teachers as part of the Science Foundation Ireland’s Science Teacher Assistant Researcher (STAR) teacher placement programme.
The aim of the CTVR’s new animated series is to make science more exciting for school children in Ireland. CTVR intends to spend in excess of €500,000 over the next five years on its long-term educational outreach programme.
The Resistors! is a CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) six-part animation series set in a post-apocalyptic Ireland – Cybernia – which will start on TG4 next week.
In each action-packed 30-minute episode, four young superheroes use their scientific knowledge to defeat evil hackerdets “who have taken over their city”. The main characters’ skills correspond to the primary science curriculum: Luc (Light), Sonia (sound) Amber (electromagnetism) and Dig (ICT). The series is supported by a specially designed website www.theresistors.com. The strong role models of the female characters aim to encourage young girls to consider science as a subject option.
TG4, as well as offering a primetime slot, is making the series available as a webcast, which means episodes can be viewed at any time. CTVR is also making the episodes available for free in PS2, Gameboy and 3G Mobile phone formats to get as much schoolyard take up and exposure as possible.
Commenting on the significance of the project, TCD Professor in Computer Science and CTVR Director, Donal O’Mahony said: “The initiative is a response to the Government’s plans to develop a knowledge economy by 2010. This will rely upon increasing numbers of science and engineering graduates. The necessary increases at third and fourth level will only occur with a steady feed-through of science and maths students from the preceding school years.”
“Future PhDs of 2015 are taking their Junior Certificate this year. If we can encourage one extra student in every Junior Cert class in Ireland to take science and maths to third level we can assure the viability of the Irish hi-tech sector and the knowledge economy in the future.”
Speaking at the launch, Minister Hanafin said: “new and exciting changes have been made to the science curriculum at primary and post-primary level. Changes have been made, not only to what is taught but also to how it is taught. The launch of The Resistors!, a new television series here today is a further exciting and innovative way of learning about science. I would urge the children to tune in and watch. Students are continuously increasing their learning skills and testing their predictions in the real world.”
Notes to the Editor
1. The Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain Research (www.ctvr.ie ) is a national telecommunications research initiative funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the IDA and Bell Labs. The Centre which is headquartered in Trinity College involves eight collaborative partners – TCD, NUI Maynooth, UCC, the Tyndall Institute, University of Limerick, DCU, DIT and UCD’s National Institute of Technology Management. The Centre’s multi-disciplinary group of researchers is working on the engineering and scientific challenges that will make the most difference to the telecommunications networks of the future. CTVR’s principal goal is to engage in world-leading breakthrough research in telecommunications with a particular emphasis on the economic context and value-chain impact of that research.
2. The Resistors! will be premiered on TG4, at 6.30pm, TG4, Friday, November 17th next. Metagita Limited and Irish animators Rumble Studios worked on the series production, using an advanced production model for 3D animation and incorporating many models of Dublin landmarks developed at the Interaction, Simulation and Graphics Lab at Trinity College Dublin. Redundant computer time at TCD was harnessed to create a massive render farm to rival that of larger studios. The soundtrack is by Paul Hartnoll, former Orbital frontman and Mark Hill aka ‘the Artful dodger who composes for artists; Craig David and Corrine Bailey Rae.
