Radio Lab will produce 20 hour-long interdisciplinary science programs and 30 shorter features to be aired on NPR news magazine programs on a wide range of core STEM topics exploring how research is done as well as what the scientific results mean to the listener. The programs are co-hosted by Robert Krulwich, science reporter for NPR, and Jared Abumrad, WNYC radio producer and music composer. The programs are using a new, unorthodox format with music, live sounds and conversations between the hosts designed to appeal to young adult listeners who previously thought they did not like science. Each episode is crafted around a scientific finding and aims to connect the scientific inquiry to philosophical and universal implications. Program topics will include biology and neuroscience as well as physics, genetics, chemistry, math and engineering. The program carriage goal is to have the hour-long programs airing on 100 stations reaching three to four million listeners by the end of the project. The shorter segments will be distributed by NPR in its regular news magazine programs. Programs will also be podcast on NPR and WNYC's web sites, as well as through iTunes. The project will also train NPR science reporters on this new approach to science news content.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Ellen HorneJad AbumradRobert KrulwichBarbara Flagg
WGBH Educational Foundation is requesting funds to produce the third and fourth seasons of "NOVA scienceNOW," a multimedia project addressing a wide array of science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects via multiple platforms including national PBS broadcast, the PBS Web site and innovative outreach initiatives. Project goals are to help the general public understand the value and importance of scientific ressearch and to encourage an interest in STEM careers among younger viewers. INNOVATION/STRAGEGIC IMPACT: The series provides a significant opportunity to develop a new format for science journalism building on brand recognition but potentially reaching a broader and more diverse national audience. The new host will be Dr. Neil deCgrasse Tyson, an accomplished astrophysicist and charismatic science communicator whose partipation will help the series reach out to a broader demographic. NOVA is planning a new scheduling configuration for these future seasons to maximize audience for the six new programs per year, i.e. the programs iwll run consecutively in the NOVA slot during June and July. COLLABORATION: NOVA has developed a new consortium of PBS stations to advise on the series and to contribute editorially to the programs. This will give the program greater geographic coverage and will provide local contacts with researchers at major universities and institutions connected to these stations. The project will also partner with the American Library Association and Sigma Xi and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in the outreach effort. Multimedia Research, Inc. and Goodman Research Group will conduct formative and summative evaluations, respectively.
Educational Broadcasting Corporation requests funds to develop and produce ten new episodes for a sixth season of Cyberchase. The new season will introduce a new campaign, "Get Active with Math", that focuses on sports and builder's math. Ancillary materials, outreach, and a highly popular Web site extend the learning and help make Cyberchase the sole mathematics media project available for the target age group. Cyberchase's content spans the 3rd-5th grade standards of the National Council of Mathematics. The new programs will enrich the series' content while keeping viewers tuning in to the current shows and bring non-traditional partners into the fold of informal education. Plans for Season 6 include building the inventory of multi-media outreach activities, strengthening the show's presence in after-school programs and museums through a set of Builder's Math activity kits and a new Web Portal. Innovation/Strategic Impact: Cyberchase continues to build its effectiveness to inspire children to approach mathematics with confidence and enthusiasm by marrying its innovative content with strong partnerships and promotion. The program maintains its unique position on broadcast television and the web. Collaborations: Season 6 initiatives will strengthen existing partnerships and forge new collaborations. The number of museums working with Cyberchase is anticipated to grow to over 30. Work with Girls Inc will include training and recruitment at three Girls Inc regional conferences. Other outreach partners include EWeek, National Association for Girls and Women in Sports, National Association for Sport and Physical Education, the New York Mets and other sports organizations. Multimedia Research will conduct formative evaluation of the 3D Builder's Math game using an operational prototype working with a sample of students, establishing the ability to use the Cyberchase web site for assessment.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Sandra SheppardFrances NankinMichael TempletonBarbara Flagg
Twin Cities Public Television is requesting a planning grant to support the development of a new television series called SciGirls and related educational materials, building off the success of SciGirls Outreach and DragonflyTV. The goal of the planning process is to design a television series that could inspire millions of girls across America to discover the excitement of science, technology, engineering and math. The proposed planning phase will include: audience research about the current TV viewing habits of "tween" girls (ages 8-13), meetings of science and education advisors, formative evaluation of sample video segments, development of a treatment and business plan for the series. Barbara Flagg of Multimedia Research will conduct the formative evaluation of the SciGirls TV short video with girls of the target audience in five locations across the country.
FETCH is a new PBS television series with accompanying Web and outreach activities targeted to 6- to 10-year olds. The program brings science learning to young children by uniquely blending live-action with animation, game show convention with reality programming, and humor with academics. The intended impacts are to: 1) reach the target audience about what it means to be a scientist and encourage them to pursue a science career; 2) provide outreach partners with curriculum that supports content-rich ISE activities and career explorations in varied settings; and 3) demonstrate how media can be used to teach substantive science and share the results of project evaluation with others in the field. The requested funds will allow the project to expand the science curriculum with 20 new half-hour episodes and expand the Web site, focusing on three new science themes that highlight a range of careers: habitats, structures, and chemistry. In addition, funds will support new educational resources for libraries and other youth-serving organizations. FETCH is produced by WGBH; content and outreach partners include the Association for Library Service to Children, the National Wildlife Federation, and the American Chemical Society in addition to outreach partners in 3,200 youth-serving organizations. American Institute for Research will conduct formative evaluation for the project; Goodman Research Group will conduct summative evaluation of both the television show and the FETCH Future Scientist Guide.
WGBH Educational Foundation will produce and distribute 10 new episodes of the award-winning TV series PEEP and the Big Wide World, launching a new initiative "Anywhere Math". In addition, funds will help launch an expanded PEEP Web site, and develop and evaluate an outreach plan targeted to Native American preschoolers. PEEP's three intended impacts are to (1) engage preschoolers in science explorations that promote positive attitudes and inquiry skills, (2) empower parents to encourage and support their children's science activities and promote the ideas of "science play", and (3) provide educational resources and professional development for preschool educators via a curriculum that contributes to the emerging field of preschool science and math education. Project partners include Head Start, Science Olympiad, Countdown to Kindergarten, and the Boston Children's Museum. The series is produced by WGBH and broadcast on TLC and Discovery Kids. This upcoming season the show will also be broadcast on public television via APT. Goodman Research Group will conduct formative and summative evaluations to assess project impact.
This project builds the capacity of public radio's The World, a daily one hour global news broadcast to cover a broad spectrum of science and technology topics. The project would produce 6-8 broadcast features each month and two weekly science and technology podcasts. PRI in partnership with its primary partner, Sigma Xi will develop and implement The World's Virtual Science Cafe, an innovative content-rich Web 2.0 resource for the public to engage in week-long synchronous moderated online discussions, facilitated by independent science and technology experts. This convergence of audio content and online discussions will help the target audience of 25-44 year olds broaden their understanding of key global scientific and technological issues. The World is a collaboration between PRI, WGBH, and the BBC. Edumetrics, led by Dr. Arthur Johnson, will conduct the evaluation focusing on the audience impacts of an integrated broadcast and online participatory media platform.
Thirteen/WNET New York requests funds to develop and produce five new Cyberchase episodes, a multi-media Summer Challenge math initiative, plus serialized Web games and an online Cartoon Maker to involve kids in active, creative mathematical thinking. Now in its seventh production season and sixth year of daily PBS broadcast, Cyberchase has helped millions of children acquire a stronger foundation in mathematics. Cyberchase's content spans the 3rd-5th grade standards of the National Council of Mathematics, and targets children aged 8-11. The series goals include: 1) reinforce mathematical knowledge especially during the summer months; 2) expand opportunities for kids' involvement with Cyberchase math activities; 3) and inspire all children to approach math with enthusiasm and confidence. Ancillary materials, outreach, and a highly popular Web site extend the learning and help make Cyberchase the sole mathematics media project available for the target age group. The new season will build on the successful format to model effective problem-solving processes, expand the math-rich Web site and bring Cyberchase to today's new-media platforms to prompt children to do math. Season 8 will especially target the summer, when children's TV viewing goes up, informal educators provide special offerings, and children, especially the under-served, are at risk of losing math growth made during the school year. The Summer Challenge will create a first-ever math summer campaign for PBS Kids. Cyberchase is watched by four million viewers each week. The audience is 40% minority and includes equal numbers of girls and boys. Cyberchase Online receives 1.9 visits a month. The project summative evaluation will study the outcomes and impact on (a) the target-age children (conducted by Multimedia Research) as well as (b) 8 PBS stations and local partners, culminating in a white paper on best practices for presenting informal STEM education in the summer (conducted by RMC Research). Season 8 initiatives will strengthen existing partnerships and forge new collaborations. Existing partnerships include museums, 50 chapters of Girls Inc., National Engineers Week Foundation, PBS stations, Sally Ride Science, Ernst & Young, and new partners MANA (a national Latina organization) and the Girl Scouts.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Sandra SheppardFrances NankinMichael TempletonBarbara Flagg
This is a planning grant to Independent Broadcasting Associates, Inc. to enable them to obtain and evaluate scientific data about the ecological condition of the Ganges river in South Asia in preparation for a series of documentaries for National Public Radio. The series would combine both science and humanities to consider the meaning of the river in terms of the broad continuum of the Ganges ecosystem. During the planning stage, the PI will: review published literature and determine whether relevant unpublished information is obtainable; screen the obtainable information on the ecological condition of the Ganges/Padma river and identify major causes of the degradation of the river; contact relevant government related bodies within India in order to locate suitable experts and written reports; establish relationships with and conduct interviews amongst relevant non-governmental parties including scientists, industrialists and agriculturalists in order to facilitate future interactions for the purpose of producing the series ; and assess the suggestion that one of the problems with initiatives such as the Ganga Action Plan has been its reliance upon Western models -- both technological and conceptual -- which are often inappropriate to local conditions and realities.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Julian Crandall HollickEmma TomlinTriyugi PrasadGraham ChapmanRoberta Farrell
Kikim Media requests $743,316 to produce four half-hour television documentaries and associated outreach programs based on Michael Pollan's best-selling book, The Botany of Desire. The project explores the reciprocal nature of people's relationship with plants. The programs focus on the connections between apples and the human desire for sweetness; tulips and the desire for beauty; marijuana and the desire for intoxication; and corn and our desire for control over nature. The project will increase public understanding of diverse subjects including genetics, evolution, cognition and biochemistry as well as biodiversity, genetic diversity and the consequences of their loss. The project will have a broad impact through a national primetime PBS broadcast, an outreach program targeting adult audiences, and an educational module delivering appropriate content (excluding intoxication) to middle and high school audiences. Knight-Williams Research Communications will conduct the evaluation for The Botany of Desire television broadcast and outreach efforts.
The Chedd-Angier Production Company requests a planning grant to develop a popular new television series together with integrated outreach and online components. The series, "Science Out There" (working title), will feature the work of field scientists as it happens and where it happens, anywhere in the world. The target audience for the series is the young, adventure-seeking adult. The work of the development phase of the project includes refining the creative approaches to the series; producing a ten-minute demonstration tape; developing a list of suitable research projects for the series; developing a business strategy and conducting formative evaluation of the pilot. An advisory group and Connecticut Public Television will support the planning work. Multimedia Research will conduct the evaluation.
The North Carolina State University will produce a one-hour film documentary on language diversity in North Carolina for public television and for distribution to public agencies throughout the state. The documentary and associated activities will illustrate the socio-cultural and socio-linguistic heritage of language variation; exemplify the systematic language patterns associated with different regional and ethnic groups and demonstrate the role of language in the construction of cultural identity. In addition to the documentary for public broadcast, footage for particular regional varieties and socio-cultural groups will be compiled into pedagogically useful 20-30 minute vignettes. A workbook for using the materials will also be prepared. In terms of its larger significance and broader impacts, this project addresses a need for informal education about language variation to counter public misunderstandings and stereotypes leading to discrimination based on language differences.