In the form of a social experiment, the website teaches about the fallacy of exponential growth fed by our insatiable appetites. Users are asked “What would you do if you had an extra minute?” This is followed by an interactive video in which Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki reveals the relevance of this extra minute to the concept of exponential growth. Using the analogy of a test tube as the Earth and bacteria growing inside the tube as humans, Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki urges users to consider what happens when the test tube becomes full. Immersed with live, twitter-based responses worldwide and unique sound and motion design, the website draws users into the visualization of a complex concept and teaches that we must learn to live in this finite world.

We set out to create an elegant interactive project that demonstrated the key principles of influential Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki's 60-second “Test Tube” analogy about overpopulation. We wanted to have David talk to the audience directly, so we created an interactive video where he compares human population growth to the exponential growth of bacteria in a test tube. To allow users to take part in the conversation, we pulled their related comments from Twitter into the site. The comments appeared onscreen, “floating” around David in the form of multiplying bacteria, visually reiterating the idea of exponential growth. In addition, we wanted to emphasize David's main point: time is running out for humans to solve their environmental crisis – we're down to the last minute. So we posed this question to users: "If you could find an extra minute right now, what would you do?" We then analyzed user responses and displayed them using creative data visualization. Needless to say, we discovered some very surprising answers.
 (Loc Dao)

The year 2011 is the first year for the Innovative Media Category, which is a recognition that the formats of educational storytelling are evolving in dramatic new ways. The Test Tube starts by asking the visitor to answer a seemingly benign question. Submitting a response instantly launches a captivating presentation by master storyteller, David Suzuki, that vividly explains the concept of exponential growth and the consequences of delaying action. By keeping the narrative focused and allowing a simultaneous visual and exploratory use of live tweets to bring the audience into the story, it very nearly guarantees that magical “ah, hah” moment so vital to learning.