Does scientific information have to be boring? Is educational radio and television destined to be ponderous and dry? This is the challenge for those of us who care about educating people about science and trying to challenge many wrong ideas that are communicated in public forums on the Internet and elsewhere. Here are some people who think differently about teaching science-- Robert Krulwich (RadioLab) and Paula Alsell (NOVA).
In a hour-long radio interview at To the Best of our Knowledge these two producers of discuss how they think about translating complicated scientific ideas in audio and video. A common thread is that they are willing to use humor and contemporary media strategies to communicate complicated ideas. Both also talk about presenting scientists as ordinary people. Alsell notes that she continues to update the presentation style to keep NOVA fresh, but never wavers in her commitment to the substance, that is, the science.
You can also get a lot of ideas about how they have extended the programs past the radio and television shows at their websites. Science educators can learn much from these producers.
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