Zekun Chang

Panic in the Arctic (with Heeju Kim)

Panic in the Arctic is an interactive children’s book that provides an educational experience on electrical circuits. By replacing electronic wires with conductive ink pens containing silver nano-particles – the AgIC pen – the book exemplifies a novel alternative to traditional ways of teaching. Not only are the circuits explained in the context of real-life applications, through illustrations that show how circuits work in electrical devices when overlaid with the conductive ink, but the book is filled with beautiful pictures and a fairy-tale style storytelling that is inviting and delivers scientific knowledge targeted to the young audience. The first chapter of the book teaches the fundamentals of electrical circuits with many examples of electric devices. In the second chapter, children can design their own circuits, helping them to let loose their creativity by incorporating science with imagination; the circuits that the children themselves create make the stars shine and spaceship vibrate. Panic in the Arctic demonstrates a simple and an intuitive way to educate children about science through design.