Course Description
Data-Driven Animation for Science Communication, SCIC 110
Effective data visualizations have grown into global movements, such as the ''warming stripes''; climate change visualization by Ed Hawkins, and have been used to guide policy, for instance, in the COVID-19 pandemic response. This course trains students in data-based storytelling that promotes research and science communication for the benefit of communities and policymakers on local and global scales. Students draft a science writing script, create custom raster and vector graphics, program data visualizations, learn to model and animate 3D models, and create animated compositions. For their final project, students assemble these data-driven assets into an animated video abstract for their own research or that of a collaborating researcher. Taught in conjunction with SCIC 210.
- UCSC graduate and undergraduate students: please enroll through the UCSC Schedule of Classes.
- Non-UCSC undergraduates: Click ENROLL above.
- Non-UCSC graduate students: Click HERE to complete the Intercampus Exchange form. In addition to your signature, you will need to obtain the signature of your home department Graduate Advisor or Chair and the signature of your Graduate Division dean. Once your form has been signed by those individuals, please email the form to the instructor (jkb@ucsc.edu) and UCSC Online Ed contact (zachmeier@ucsc.edu) for routing at UCSC.
- Questions: Please email jkb@ucsc.edu & zachmeier@ucsc.edu for questions related to course enrollment.
Key Information
Credit: 5 quarter units /
3.33 semester units credit
UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Course Credit:
Upon successful completion, all online courses offered through cross-enrollment provide UC unit credit. Some courses are approved for GE, major preparation and/or, major credit or can be used as a substitute for a course at your campus.If "unit credit" is listed by your campus, consult your department, academic adviser or Student Affairs division to inquire about the petition process for more than unit credit for the course.
UC Berkeley:
Unit Credit
UC Davis:
Unit Credit
UC Irvine:
Unit Credit
UC Los Angeles:
Unit Credit
UC Merced:
units toward degree (See your Academic Advisor)
UC Riverside:
General Education: Elective units
UC San Diego:
Unit Credit
UC San Francisco:
Unit Credit
UC Santa Barbara:
Unit Credit
UC Santa Cruz:
General Education: PE-T
More About The Course
Each student will create a scientific animation that tells a story with data to better communicate scientific results – along the way they will learn programming, science writing, and technical animation skills. Data visualization provides an entry point for the public and policymakers to engage with data and science. Effective data visualizations have grown into global movements, such as the “warming stripes” climate change visualization by Ed Hawkins, and have been used to guide policy, for instance, in the COVID-19 pandemic response. This course trains students in data-based storytelling that promotes research and science communication for the benefit of communities and policymakers on local and global scales. Students will draft a science writing script, create custom raster and vector graphics using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, program data visualizations in R, learn to model and animate 3D models in Autodesk Maya, and create animated compositions in Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro. For their final project, students will follow a creative pipeline outlined in our recent publication to assemble these data-driven assets into an animated video abstract for their own research or that of a collaborating researcher.
Course Creator
Jessica Kendall-Bar
Dr. Jessica Kendall-Bar is a Scripps Postdoctoral Scholar at the Center for Marine Biotechnology & Biomedicine at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. Kendall-Bar’s postdoctoral work builds on her doctoral research at UC Santa Cruz, where she developed innovative tools to non-invasively measure and visualize the sleep patterns of wild seals. At Scripps, Kendall-Bar seeks to compare the extreme physiology of elite divers- including humans, penguins, seals, and whales. A scientist by training, Kendall-Bar’s research has spanned from computer graphics to human sleep deprivation and arthropod mating behavior. However, Kendall-Bar believes that scientific progress is futile unless communicated effectively. Her animations, illustrated children’s books, and data visualizations aim to accurately portray science and its role in preserving underwater ecosystems. Her work as a science communication specialist distills scientific complexity into data-driven stories, graphics, and animations that accelerate research, outreach, and conservation.
Dr. Jessica Kendall-Bar is a Scripps Postdoctoral Scholar at the Center for Marine Biotechnology & Biomedicine at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. Kendall-Bar’s postdoctoral work builds on her doctoral research at UC Santa Cruz, where she developed innovative tools to non-invasively measure and visualize the sleep patterns of wild seals. At Scripps, Kendall-Bar seeks to ...Dr. Jessica Kendall-Bar is a Scripps Postdoctoral Scholar at the Center for Marine Biotechnology & Biomedicine at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. Kendall-Bar’s postdoctoral work builds on her doctoral research at UC Santa Cruz, where she developed innovative tools to non-invasively measure and visualize the sleep patterns of wild seals. At Scripps, Kendall-Bar seeks to compare the extreme physiology of elite divers- including humans, penguins, seals, and whales. A scientist by training, Kendall-Bar’s research has spanned from computer graphics to human sleep deprivation and arthropod mating behavior. However, Kendall-Bar believes that scientific progress is futile unless communicated effectively. Her animations, illustrated children’s books, and data visualizations aim to accurately portray science and its role in preserving underwater ecosystems. Her work as a science communication specialist distills scientific complexity into data-driven stories, graphics, and animations that accelerate research, outreach, and conservation.
