Double accolade for Plymouth school
16th July 2009
A
group of students from Ridgeway School in Plymouth have received
two more accolades for a DVD animated film they made to highlight
the spectre of ocean acidification.
Fifteen of the students, accompanied by their Deputy Head, were
presented with certificates at an international conference held in
the City this week. Before the presentation Deputy Head Teacher,
Kevin Harper, announced that the school had received notification
that they had won the Royal Society of Chemistry Bill Bryson Prize
for Science Communication, against the strongest of competition and
in a year that witnessed the highest ever number of entries at
500.
So a second cause for celebration as ocean scientists from
across the world applauded the students after the film was shown at
the First Annual Meeting of the European Project on OCean
Acidification (EPOCA). Attending the meeting and watching the short
film were many world experts who are studying how the ocean is
changing because of human activities, most notably the continued
emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. Around a third of
the CO2 generated by humans in the last few hundred
years has been absorbed into the ocean where it combines to form
carbonic acid; the extent of this change is quite staggering with
the oceans being 30% more acidic than before the human generated
contribution. Early studies are showing that changing the acidity
of the seas is starting to impact upon marine life, and many shell
and skeleton bearing animals are likely to be affected.
The
short film, made with help from Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)
scientists and advice from local animators at SunDog Media, has now
been shown at a number of international scientific gatherings and
is being translated into other languages. PML’s Dr Carol Turley
reported that interest in the film was snowballing with a number of
conference delegates committed to try and help fund and distribute
thousands of copies throughout Europe and into the USA.
One of the first scientists to congratulate the students and to
pledge his support was Dr Gerald Ganssen, the Vice President of the
European Geosciences Union, who is convinced that film is powerful:
“When I watched the film I was touched, it is simple and has a
strong message. It is the perfect vehicle for telling the world
about ocean acidification”.
Kevin Harper is in no doubt that the whole process has been a
very positive one for the students involved: “The fifteen
students here today are the core of the project, back at school are
quite a few more who were involved and they all gained from the
experience. Making this film really caught their imaginations, they
are already aware of environmental concerns but this project
enabled them to use skills and share understanding; the result not
only educated them but enabled them to educate others. We are all
really proud of them, they picked up the ball and ran with it, and
most importantly they enjoyed it and contributed to an
international debate. They have been empowered to speak not only to
their generation but also to the older generation and to
generations still to come.”
The Royal Society of Chemistry, Bill Bryson Prize is awarded for
excellent science communication and was judged by Bill Bryson, RSC
President Professor C David Garner and an Editor from RSC
Publishing. The awards ceremony will take place in London in
October.
The film can be viewed at:
www.ridgeway.plymouth.sch.uk/gt_animwkshp09_C02.htm
www.youtube.com/watch?v=55D8TGRsl4k