Quirky video on adrenal glands wins Scientific American contest

A two-minute video written by Raluca Ellis, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), has won the Scientific American “Iron Egghead” video contest.

The lively, quirky video explains the role of cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline in the human body. The judges praised it for its humor, attention to detail, and snappy editing.

“I just really love doing this type of work,” said Ellis. “I’m very interested in science education and science communication. A lot of science videos are very serious, as if we can’t also have fun.”

Teaming up with her husband, Mike Ellis, and their friends Jason Lee, Dorea Reeser, and Nigel Morton, Ellis decided to take on the magazine’s challenge to “explain a part, process or system of the human body in two minutes or less,” incorporating seven everyday objects.