What is a MicroMentary?

A MicroMentary is a student created multimedia presentation about the microbial world. It requires a computer, a microscope, a video connection between the microscope and computer, and software to create the presentation. The presentation can include text, still and video images, sound, and animation. A MicroMentary runs from three to five minutes and exhibits the knowledge mastered during its creation. MicroMentaries are exhibited in class or shared over the Internet via the Web.

The original MicroMentary was developed by a team of students at Verde Valley School (VVS) in Sedona, Arizona during Project Period, 1994. The focus of the project was to show how computers, video, and microscopes could be used to produce a multimedia presentation that exhibited the mastery of cutting edge (at the time!) computer hardware and software as well as what they learned about the microbial world.

The students have all gone on to bigger and better things, but their spirit of adventure and the memories of working with them live on in this project.

Samples

Animation of Hydra capturing a Daphnia. Built from images captured with a Swift Microscope and a SwiftCam.

The original MicroMentarians were:

• Justin Frankel
• Liz Matson
• Chris Martin
• Jaben Cargman