RIT Students Produce Photography Tutorials for the BioCommunications Association

HILLSBOROUGH, NC, March 05, 2012 (Press-News.org) Rochester Institute of Technology's fall 2011 Advanced Digital Media Class was hired by the BioCommunications Association (BCA) to develop and produce video tutorials for amateur medical and biological photographers.

The 14 students in Biomedical Photographic Communication Assistant Professor Tom Zigon's class worked in four teams to produce video tutorials on photographing reflective subjects, exposure control, and a topic of their choice including:

• Digital file formats and compression
• Techniques for maintaining consistency in medical imaging
• Sample preparation for photographing slides on wide field microscopes
• Transillumination techniques

Each group also developed an assessment module for one of the videos that could be used by the viewer to test their knowledge of the topic.

"This is the first time we've had a real client," said Zigon. "It has offered these students a great opportunity not only to get something published, but also to get exposed to people who do this type of work professionally."

The students will be presenting their projects to the BCA next week. The chosen tutorials will be posted in the resource section of the BCA website http://www.bca.org.

"Tom's class was ideal for this project," said BCA President Susanne Loomis.
"RIT is the only university with a four-year degree in biomedical photographic communications and many BCA members are graduates of its program. The students are very knowledgeable, most having not only taken classes toward their degree, but also interned in the field at least once. With this project, the BCA gains some additional resources for its website and the students gain experience and a great piece for their resume. It's a win-win for both the students and the BCA."

The BioCommunications Association, Inc. is an international professional association of photographers, designers, illustrators, and videographers working in visual communications for the life sciences. Founded in 1931 as the Biological Photographic Association, today's BioCommunications Association promotes the highest standards of education, performance, and professionalism. Members are from health care, universities, research institutions, government and private industry throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Australia. BCA is the oldest organization devoted to the development of visual communication material in the biological sciences. To learn more about the BCA, visit http://www.bca.org