Microbiology Dept. Lures Likes with Cute IG Page, Golden Hamster

Do you know that both coconut jellies and the coronavirus are microorganisms? That’s what SU’s “Micro Daily” Instagram page can tell you along with many other interesting pieces of trivia. Maintained and updated by three Microbiology majors and the department secretary, the fanpage has accumulated nearly 300 followers, and been welcomed by students and instructors alike.

A platform that shares daily tidbits and fun facts related to the micro-world, the now 4-month-old project also features the adorable and popular rodent named Nachi, a 15-cm-long golden hamster adopted by Dept. Secretary Hsin-Ju Sung.

The talented senior Kuan-Yin Liu created the animated version of Nachi for the fanpage videos, and has also dubbed for Nachi and three other characters in all the posts, a difficult task that consumes time and effort.

The hardest thing about stop-motion animation lies in the flow of movement, said Liu. Even for a 3- or 4-second-long clip of Nachi eating his food, she must draw 3 to 4 different versions to test the quality. And a simple 30-second clip would include almost 100 frames, she added.

Sung, Liu, and two other seniors have developed a workflow that puts their teamwork and organizational skills to the test every single day, including: topic-selecting, post-writing, revising, filming, editing, even animating and sound-recording. Though they’ve learned to cooperate smoothly, the workload still often requires them to burn the midnight oil.

Their results, nevertheless, always leave its viewers with high spirits and warmed hearts. With the real-life Nachi accumulating “daily popularity” in the department office, the fanpage has shed light on many subjects about microbiology that are often less known, misunderstood, even stigmatized. By combining what they love and what they know, Sung and her team’s “daily,”“micro” efforts have certainly achieved something big.