PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
8-Dec-2014
Contact: John Fleischman jfleischman@ascb.org 513-706-0212 American Society for Cell Biology @AmerSocCellBio
A very tiny red carpet is ready. The paparazzi are gathering as a daring experiment in communicating cell biology comes to the test--who will watch the three "Tell Your Own Cell Story" videos commissioned by Celldance Studios, a.k.a. the ASCB's Public Information Committee (PIC)? Dubbed "microscopic blockbusters," the three short videos will premiere online from the 2014 ASCB/IFCB meeting in Philadelphia on Monday, December 8. All three are streamable and downloadable here. http://www.ascb.org/celldance-2014
The films are "Killing Cancer, Cytotoxic T-Cells on Patrol" by Alex Ritter, NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program, "Companions in Discovery" by Amy Gladfelter, Dartmouth, and "Cell Repair" by Bill Bement, University of Wisconsin, Madison. The three films, which run from just under three minutes to just over seven, have original music soundtracks scored by Hollywood film composer Ted Masur.
The idea of commissioning working cell biologists to make a film about their own research was a bold break this year for Celldance, explained PIC Chair Simon Atkinson. PIC started Celldance as a microscope video contest in 2005. The original idea, Atkinson explained, was to capture some of the fantastic microscope video that is a hallmark of modern cell biology and put it before the public as well as other scientists. Celldance winners presented some visually dazzling imagery over the years but the overall quality and the number of entries sagged in recent contests, Atkinson said.
It was PIC's Celldance subcommittee chair Duane Compton who came up with the idea of directly commissioning a small number of films from ASCB member labs and then providing post-production services, according to Atkinson. "Duane said we should directly approach some of the labs run by ASCB members who were known for their advanced imaging and ask them for sample video and a story proposal. Duane also said we should throw the commission process open to all ASCB member labs." Thus was born Celldance Studios. "We had a number of amazing proposals from ASCB member labs. Picking three wasn't easy," said Atkinson. "We only gave each lab a $1,000 budget but, as they say in Hollywood, they put the money on the screen."
Beyond the $1,000 in direct underwriting, ASCB supplied post-production support from ASCB's iBiology videographer Eric Kornblum in San Francisco and from ASCB staff in Bethesda. Ted Masur, the composer of the original scores for all three films, came by an interest in cell biology honestly. His mother is the noted cell biologist, Sandra Masur who is on the faculty at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and serves as chair of ASCB's Women In Cell Biology committee. Growing up, Ted Masur recalls that cell biology was like the family business, often discussed around the dinner table. He was always interested in science but Masur's interest and his talents for music led him in another direction. Being asked to score the Celldance commissions was a chance to touch base, Ted Masur says.
Even though it wasn't planned this way, says Atkinson, the three "Tell Your Own Cell Story" videos demonstrate three different approaches to the challenge of making cell biology visible to the world. Atkinson explains, "Alex's video, "Killing Cancer," has some of the most advanced--and most exciting--cell imaging in the world. Alex is in Gillian Griffith's Cambridge (UK) lab which has revolutionized our concept of the role of secretion in immune cells like the cytotoxic T-cells that star in this video." Ritter has also worked in the US with two cutting-edge imaging labs, Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz's at NIH and Eric Betzig's group at HHMI's Janelia Farm Research Campus. "Eric just won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year for his work on superresolution imaging so it doesn't get much more advanced than that."
Amy Gladfelter's "Companions in Discovery" is about the discoveries her lab has made about the physical properties of cellular proteins by using the fungus, Ashbya as a lab model. "Amy's video is both beautiful to watch on an aesthetic level and beautiful to watch as an illustration of how simple model organisms like Ashbya can give us insights into human diseases like Alzheimer's," Atkinson continues. "I also like the end of the film where members of her lab briefly come on camera. It's good to see the real faces of lab scientists. These are young faces and without them, cell biology would be lost."
Go here to see the original:
ASCB's Celldance releases microscopic blockbusters
- Howard H. Seliger, Hopkins biology professor - January 1st, 2013 [January 1st, 2013]
- General Biology-Concepts and Investigations - Video - January 31st, 2013 [January 31st, 2013]
- Biology Reproduction part 13 (Sexual reproduction: Flower Structure) CBSE class 10 X - Video - January 9th, 2014 [January 9th, 2014]
- How far can a Buddhist approach to biology take us? - January 14th, 2014 [January 14th, 2014]
- Biology revision song on protein synthesis by Andrew Perkins - Video - January 30th, 2014 [January 30th, 2014]
- Scientific Evidence for Creation CSE BIBLE FORUM Origins 1212 Dr Seuss Biology - Video - February 9th, 2014 [February 9th, 2014]
- Synthetic biology lab backed by 2 million award - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- Vanguard High teacher wins 2014 Shell Science Lab Challenge - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- Biohacking and the problem of bioterrorism - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- Synthetic genetic clock keeps accurate time across a range of temperatures - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- Math modeling integral to synthetic biology research - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- Vacancies in biology dept. impact course options - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- Dr. Joshua Reece Earns Best Presentation Award At Conference - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- Life Science Reference - Biology Online - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- 9th Grade Biology: A Hectic Introduction to Mammals - Video - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- Theism vs Evolution, Biology, and History - Video - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- AP Biology Ch.49 Circulatory System Livestream - Video - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- AP Biology Review Cards - Video - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- AP Biology - Chapter 49 Circulatory System Part 1 - Video - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- MSc Biology and PhD Boreal Ecology - Video - April 9th, 2014 [April 9th, 2014]
- Whale tales: Students set sail for biology class research - April 10th, 2014 [April 10th, 2014]
- Barnard biology professor honored with Emily Gregory award for teaching - April 10th, 2014 [April 10th, 2014]
- biology: Definition from Answers.com - Answers - The Most ... - April 10th, 2014 [April 10th, 2014]
- Biology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - April 10th, 2014 [April 10th, 2014]
- Bridging the Brain Disease Knowledge Gap through Computational Modeling and Systems Biology: An O... - Video - April 10th, 2014 [April 10th, 2014]
- Sharpening microscope images: New technique takes cues from astronomy, ophthalmology - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- COLLEGE NEWS: April 13 - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- Eureka Once, Eureka Twice - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- Biology - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- The Art of Nutrients - Biology Song - 'Counting Stars' Remake - Video - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- Biology - The Nervous System - Video - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- OCR AS BIOLOGY: - Cell Structures - Video - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- Evolutionary Biology Research / F. Robin O'Keefe and Julie Meachen / Page Museum - Video - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- What Is a Thyroid In Biology? : Let's Get Medical - Video - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- Red Ice Radio - Sofia Smallstorm - Hour 1 - Chemtrails to Pseudo-Life & Synthetic Biology - Video - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- STARNES: Did professor advocate censorship of conservative student newspaper? - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- German Research Foundation approves new priority program in the life sciences - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- Announcing BioCoder issue 3 - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- Poetry by Linda Bierds, Buddhism and biology - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- Digestion - Biology Music Video - Video - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- AS Level Biology- Edexcel/SNAB- Unit 1 Revision Notes - Video - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- The Anatomy Of The Heart - Video - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- #OilerNation Biology Program Q & A Hangout - Video - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- Northwestern University researchers on synthetic biology - Video - April 15th, 2014 [April 15th, 2014]
- Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology (Vienna) - Video - April 16th, 2014 [April 16th, 2014]
- Biology 1B - 2014-04-14 - Video - April 16th, 2014 [April 16th, 2014]
- AP Biology Review 3/7: Cell Energy - Video - April 16th, 2014 [April 16th, 2014]
- MCB 410: Developmental Biology - Video - April 16th, 2014 [April 16th, 2014]
- Dyslexic Advantage - UCSF Symposium - Dr Fumiko Hoeft - Biology of Stealth Dyslexia - Video - April 16th, 2014 [April 16th, 2014]
- Life cycle of Silkworm- Insect Molecular Biology Lab, Dr.M.Krishnan, Bharathithasan University. - Video - April 16th, 2014 [April 16th, 2014]
- Tracking flu levels with Wikipedia - April 17th, 2014 [April 17th, 2014]
- Biology major Katharine Leigh '15 wins Udall scholarship - April 17th, 2014 [April 17th, 2014]
- First in the nation: UW-Madison establishes post-doc in feminist biology - April 17th, 2014 [April 17th, 2014]
- Biology Project: Predation - Video - April 17th, 2014 [April 17th, 2014]
- Report Focussing On Biology Underlining - Video - April 17th, 2014 [April 17th, 2014]
- edX | MITx: Quantitative Biology Workshop: 7QBWx About Video - Video - April 17th, 2014 [April 17th, 2014]
- Cell Mediated Response (Erdmann's 2B-3 AP Biology) - Video - April 17th, 2014 [April 17th, 2014]
- Biology Plantae part 13 (Mosses: structure, life cycle, mosses vs leafy liverwots) CBSE class 11 XI - Video - April 17th, 2014 [April 17th, 2014]
- Biology - Photosynthesis - Video - April 19th, 2014 [April 19th, 2014]
- The Genie in Your Genes: Epigenetics and Biology of Intention - Video - April 19th, 2014 [April 19th, 2014]
- Introduction to Synthetic Biology Andrew Hessel - Video - April 19th, 2014 [April 19th, 2014]
- Teacher of Biology - April 21st, 2014 [April 21st, 2014]
- Biology - Osmosis - Video - April 21st, 2014 [April 21st, 2014]
- UW to host first feminist biology post-doc program in nation - April 22nd, 2014 [April 22nd, 2014]
- The Biology Project: Cell Biology - University of Arizona - April 22nd, 2014 [April 22nd, 2014]
- The Biology Corner - April 22nd, 2014 [April 22nd, 2014]
- Rader's BIOLOGY 4 KIDS.COM - Biology basics for everyone! - April 22nd, 2014 [April 22nd, 2014]
- Stanford CF Education Day 2014 Understanding the Biology - Video - April 22nd, 2014 [April 22nd, 2014]
- 9th Grade Biology: Hectic Introduction to the Human Organ Systems pt.1 - Video - April 22nd, 2014 [April 22nd, 2014]
- Honors Biology and Biology Mrs. Ellis - Video - April 22nd, 2014 [April 22nd, 2014]
- Biology professor researches parasites - April 22nd, 2014 [April 22nd, 2014]
- TRANSCRIPTION-Biology - Video - April 22nd, 2014 [April 22nd, 2014]
- 2014 Interdisciplinary Innovation Forum: "Mathematical Biology" - Video - April 22nd, 2014 [April 22nd, 2014]
- This Week in Genome Biology - April 24th, 2014 [April 24th, 2014]
- Biology - Calvin Cycle - Video - April 24th, 2014 [April 24th, 2014]
- Systems biology course 2014 Uri Alon - lecture 3: FFL and more - Video - April 24th, 2014 [April 24th, 2014]
- Systems biology course 2014 Uri Alon - lecture 2: Auto regulation - Video - April 24th, 2014 [April 24th, 2014]
- Systems biology course 2014 Uri Alon - lecture 1: Basic concepts - Video - April 24th, 2014 [April 24th, 2014]
- 9th Grade Biology: Hectic Introduction to the Human Organ Systems pt.2 - Video - April 24th, 2014 [April 24th, 2014]
- Have Atheists Hijacked Biology? - Video - April 24th, 2014 [April 24th, 2014]