SOUTH KINGSTOWN – URIanimation, a YouTube channel for the University of Rhode Island that shows 3D biomedical animations, has reached 1 million hits.

The channel is collection of 22 student-created videos that attempt to explain complex scientific processes using simple visuals.

“It’s a significant achievement for our animation students and is a global outreach effort that far exceeds any other URI-based YouTube videos,” Bongsup Cho, professor of medicinal chemistry and associate dean for research and graduate programs in the College of Pharmacy, said in a statement. Cho manages the YouTube page and 3D animation project.

According to a URI release, professors from as far away as Israel and China have commented on some of the videos, expressing interest in redoing the voiceovers in other language for their students. Cho has since granted these professors permission to use the videos for free as educational tools.

The 3D animation and printing-technology program is funded through grants from the Provost’s Innovative Approaches using Technology and the Champlin Foundations. •