(75d) Molecularium: Merging Entertainment with Education, Outreach, and Scientific Literacy

Molecularium is a world of molecules. It is a one of the flagship Education and Outreach projects developed at Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center. Molecularium project includes new digital media, such as immersive digital dome technology, computer games, and interactive websites, as well as hand-on activites. One of our goals is to excite the next generation about all things scientific and attract them to carrers in science and engineering. We have recently finished making of our first digital dome movie, Episode I - Riding Snowflakes, that is currently being distributed nationwide. The development of this movie involved interdisciplinary collaboration amongst scientists, engineers, and artists. We were also able to incorporate scientifically accurate trajectories from molecular dynamics simulations into the cartooniverse of molecules. I will describe the development of this first movie, results of assessment, and future directions of the project.