Exploring the human eye
Who Chase M., Shellharbour Public School, NSW
What The human eye discerns more shades of green than any other colour. In Nurinnurun-Green: The SEEN Colour, Chase combines drone video, claymation and stop-motion graphics to explain how the retina and the colour green (or Nurinnurun, in the local Dharawal language) have impacted human evolution and survival.
Runner-up in the 2023 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Primary.
Chase at the 2023 Eureka Prizes Award Ceremony, where he was announced as one of three runners-up for the 2023 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize.
Image: Tim Levy© Australian Museum
Congratulations on being selected as one of three runners-up in this year’s Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize! What’s been your favourite part of the journey?
Hearing that I was a finalist. I was ecstatic!
Your short film is about the human eye. Can you tell readers a little more about what you explored in your research?
The human eye can recognise more shades of green than any other colour and this has probably evolved due to our need to find food, recognise poisonous plants and avoid predators.
You filmed Nurinnurun-Green: The SEEN Colour on Dharawhal Country and learned some traditional language. What did you discover about the language?
That it is very different to the English language and that it has been passed on from generation to generation. Dr Jodi Edwards is a custodian of the Dharwal language, and she has written a book that children can read and enjoy at the same time as learning about the language.of the Dharwal people.
This year’s theme was ‘Green’. How did you decide on your topic?
I thought about everything green and recalled something I'd heard about humans recognising more shades of green than any other colour. I wasn’t sure it was correct, so I investigated.
What’s the most surprising thing you learned when making your short film?
That there are more red cones than green cones in our eyes, but we see more shades of green than red or any other colour.
What was the most challenging part about the filmmaking process?
Having to do it on a very old and slow computer!
Sponsored by the University of Sydney, the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize encourages students to communicate a scientific concept in a short film. It is intended to support budding young scientists across the nation, who will be our future leaders in research, discovery and communication.
