Animation can make science more engaging and accessible, especially for audiences with learning challenges

New research being presented at the Minoritised Life Scientists Future Forum this spring explores how animation and immersive technology can be used to make science more accessible and engaging, especially for audiences with learning challenges such as dyslexia.

Tughu Aiyewa, at the University of West England, will be presenting a poster on how his project explored innovative methods for simplifying and communicating complex scientific concepts to the public. 

“Utilizing both 2D and 3D animation, the project transforms dense research findings into visually engaging, easily comprehensible narratives. This dual approach is particularly effective for making science more accessible, especially for audiences with learning challenges such as dyslexia, who may struggle with traditional text-heavy materials,” he says.

The study, 'The Visual Representation of Scientific Data through Immersive Technology' will be presented at the Minoritised Life Scientists Future Forum which will be held in the ICC Birmingham from March 31 to April 2.

Tughu explained: “Animation is mostly used for entertainment, and only recently has it been adopted for education, mainly in schools. However, it has the potential to do much more—help shift mindsets, simplify abstract concepts, and present complex information in a way that anyone can relate to. 

“A major real-world problem is that many people find science intimidating or difficult to understand. As a result, fewer people engage with it, limiting the potential for new discoveries and solutions that could benefit society. Science is about looking at the world differently and exploring unconventional ideas, and if more people felt confident to engage with it, we could see even greater innovation.”

The approach combines creative storytelling with scientific visualization to recontextualize research findings into relatable scenarios, allowing audiences to understand the real-world relevance of scientific ideas. 

“For this research, I took a scientific project that is still in development and visually translated it into an animation. I used an animation production pipeline to break down key scientific findings and research methods and represented them in a way that is easier to grasp. I also explored character development to help the audience connect with the concepts,” Tughu said.

The animation focuses on ongoing research being carried out by Oluwadamilola Okeyoyin supervised by Prof. Emmanuel Adukwu and Dr Oliver Gould that explores the impact of herbal beverages on the human body and the benefits derived from them.

“The animation was designed to effectively communicate the research findings in an engaging and visually appealing way. It achieves this through thoughtful design, infographics, and storytelling, centering around a main character who guides the audience on a journey of discovery about the human body and herbal teas,” Tughu says.

“One thing that surprised me was realizing how many areas of science require creativity and unconventional thinking. Many important discoveries remain unexplored simply because science is often presented as difficult or tedious. While science does have its challenges, encouraging exploration and experimentation can lead to new and exciting solutions.

“The goal of this research is to make science more approachable, especially for younger audiences. By changing the way science is presented, we can help reduce the fear surrounding scientific discovery and inspire more people to explore and contribute to the field.”

The Minoritised Life Sciences Future Forum conference (MLSFF) takes place from 31st March to 2nd April 2025 at the ICC Birmingham.