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AMHERST, N.Y. – An animated public service announcement, “8 Ways to Stay Safe from COVID-19,” has been created by the junior class of ˿����Ƶ College’s animation program.

The PSA showing safety tips to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 has been released on and was produced entirely in a virtual format in the animation program’s “Basic Animation 4” class.

“The students wanted to work together on a project that could benefit people across the country and the world during this time of crisis,” said Mike Jones, program director of animation, who oversaw the student project and also provided the voice over for the PSA. “With moving to online instruction, we had a system in place that was engaging, convenient, and accessible for students to collaborate virtually on this project.”

Students began working on the PSA in mid-March when the college transitioned to all online classes due to the coronavirus pandemic. The four-week project brought together nine animation majors learning remotely from New York State, Maryland, South Carolina, and other East Coast areas.

Using Maya, a computer animation software, each ˿����Ƶ student involved in the project was responsible for creating an animated scene in the PSA. Students then collaborated online to discuss creative aspects and fine-tune their animation work.  

According to Jones, “This project was a great interactive learning experience for students and gave them the opportunity to develop their animation skills and talents while doing something for our community.”