Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO) is a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign-based program focused on the development and deployment of educational content that can be rapidly translated and voice overlaid into new languages and deployed through cell phones and other video-capable devices. SAWBO relies on volunteers for translation and deployment of content both online and offline. On August 11 of 2012, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck East Azerbaijan province of Iran. SAWBO was contacted by, and worked with, Iranian expatriates from Vancouver, Canada, interested in gaining knowledge, about how to treat water to prevent cholera, into the zone hardest hit by the earthquake. In this case study, we outlined the challenges of deployment of educational content into a country where the authorities restrict the flow of knowledge to their own populations (i.e. a minority language group). We also discuss certain ethical dilemmas related to tracking content and user activities.

1. Scien&fic(Anima&ons(Without(Borders(and(Crowd7
Sourced(Emergency(Relief(Knowledge(in(Local(
Languages:(A(Case(Study(of(the(Iranian(Earthquake((!
!
Saber Miresmailli1, Julia Bello-Bravo2,3 and Barry Robert Pittendrigh2,3,4
1Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z1 saber.miresmailli@ubc.ca
2Scientific Animations Without Borders, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 juliabb@illinois.edu
3Center for African Studies, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
4Department of Entomology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 pittendr@illinois.edu

2. How$can$we$share$knowledge$with$one$billion$
low.literate$learners$in$their$own$languages?$
How$can$we$do$this$in$a$cost.effec0ve,$
efficient$and$coordinated$manner?$

3. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
What is it?

4. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
Why animations?

5. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
How it started?

6. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
an “Academic Factory”
New$Topic$
• Experts/*
collaborators*
asking*for*new*
anima7ons*
• Funding*for*
topic/
anima7on*
Generate$
Script$
• Experts*in*
the*field*
• Our*team*
Create$
anima2on$
• 2D*
• 2.5D*
• 3D*
• Mul7ple*
languages*
Share$
anima2on$
• Facebook*
• Web*Page*
• YouTube*
• And*more*

7. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
Making materials available
ENGLISH(
ANIMATION(
SAWBO&
WEBPAGE&
SUSDEVIKI& FACEBOOK& YOUTUBE& TWITTER& GOOGLE+& SAWBO&APP&
COMING&SOON&
OFF8LINE&
SYSTEMS&
NEW(VOICE(
OVERS(

8. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
What is our current status?
Website hits: 2, 761,546!
Visitors: 54,509 !
Downloads: 736!
YouTube Views: 173,226
Video topics: 40!
Different languages: 57!
Total videos: 212 and growing

9. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
What is our current status?

10. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
Technological advances as a driver
Increasing*
access*to*
Internet*for*
those*who*
deploy*
informa5on*
Video*
capable*
phones*with**
Bluetooth*®*
technology*
Knowledge*
to*people*in*
their*own*
language*

11. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
The Iranian Story
August 11, 2012

12. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
Earthquakes in Iran
Bam- 2003!
Fatalities: at least 50,000
Manjil- 1990!
Fatalities: at least 35,000
Tabriz, 2011!
Zarand, 2005!
Qazvin, 2002!
Birjand, 1997!
Ardabil, 1997!
Hormozgan, 1981!
!
Tabas- 1978!
Fatalities: at least 15,000

13. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
The Green Movement
2009

14. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
Azerbaijan Earthquake
August 11, 2012

15. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
Government cover-up

16. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
Government crack-down

17. August 11, 2012
a 6.4 magnitude
earthquake
struck East
Azerbaijan
province in Iran.
hundareds of
people died and
many more were
injured
August 14, 2012
The Iranian
expat from
Vancouver,
Canada,
contacted
SAWBO
regarding the
Cholera
animation
August 16, 2012
SAWBO
released the
Farsi version of
the animation -
more than 1000
YouTube® hits
within 72 hours
August 21, 2012
SAWBO
released the
Azeri version of
the animation
Sept 6, 2012
The animation
was sent to Iran
with travelers
cellphones who
distributed it via
Bluetooth® in
cities of Tehran,
Tabriz and
Isfahan. A local
portal in Tehran
uploaded the
animation for
mass SMS
downloads
Sept 2, 2012
The Iranian
government
censored the
YouTube® link.
The animation
was uploaded on
Iranian portal "
Balatarin" and
was featured on
the first page
August 25, 2012
The Azeri
animation was a
great success
within Iran-
Radio Koocheh
interviewed the
expat (aired on
September 1,
2012)
Jan 1, 2013
More than
10,000 people
downloaded the
animation from
the local portal.
The expat
received several
thankful emails
and SMS from
Iran. The
YouTube® link is
still censored

18. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
Cholera Prevention

19. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
Crowd-sourced distribution

20. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
Lessons learned

21. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
The dilemma of proving the impact

22. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
Dr.$Julia$Bello$Bravo$
juliabb@illinois.edu.
Dr.$Barry$Pi0endrigh$
pi0endr@illinois.edu.
sawbo.illinois.edu

23. Scientific Animations Without Boarders (SAWBO) !
This study was supported the Feed the Future Legume Innovation Lab (formerly
known as the Dry Grain Pulses Collaborative Research Support Program) by the
Bureau for Food Security, United States Agency for International Development
under the terms of Grant No. EDH-A-00-07-00005-00 (to JBB and BRP). The
opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the U.S.
government. Support has also come from the ADM Institute for the Prevention of
Postharvest Loss at the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana (to JBB and BP).