EarthTalk Incorporated is producing and distributing 282 "Edge of Discovery" radio programs. Each of the 90-second programs will explore an area of on-going research and will feature "actualities" or recorded voices of scientists explaining their work. The programs will be carried on 700+ public and commercial radio stations. The broadcast programs will be supplemented by an "Edge of Discovery" web presence that will contain the radio programs themselves plus a "More Info" section for each program that includes references to printed articles and links to other web sites on the day's topic as well as supplementary background material such as transcripts of interviews with scientists. The "Edge of Discovery" web page also will feature a "Meet the Scientists" section in which a new scientist will be profiled each month, and it will feature live online "chats" with scientists six times each year. The producers/hosts for the series are Deborah Byrd and Joel Block who created, produced and hosted the highly successful radio series Earth and Sky. The Senior Producer is Marc Airhart who will be primary liaison with the team of researchers and writers. Review of all material developed for the projected will be done by the project's review committee of 95 scientists.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Deborah ByrdWilliam BrittonMarc AirhartBarbara Flagg
The Self-Reliance Foundation (SRF) will implement a comprehensive three-year project that provides Hispanics with greater access to science resources and increases their participation in informal science activities. The Hispanic National Community Science Festivals Project makes optimal use of radio and print media, as well as the Internet, to deliver much-needed services to the families in their homes and communities. First, the SRF will partner with the Hispanic Radio Network (HRN) and the Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation (HBC) to reach major Hispanic markets in Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Dallas and Yakima, Washington. A community coalition, including members of the radio station, community organizations and science centers, will be created in each of the targeted locales to plan events and support the project. Radio broadcasts will include information on community science festivals organized by science centers in these cities. Daily science radio capsules will also be developed, produced and distributed nationwide. Topics for radio capsules will include parental involvement and participation in informal science activities, and pathways to science careers. The Self-Reliance Foundation will serve as a clearing-house for community science resources by establishing an 800 number-hotline and bilingual Internet site with referral information on science opportunities within the community. It is anticipated that the festivals alone will reach 100,000-200,000 visitors per weekend, while broadcasts have the potential to reach the majority of the U.S. Hispanic population of 32 million people.
Education Development Center (EDC) is developing and implementing a three-year project to promote the informal learning of key basic mathematical concepts and skills among undereducated adults throughout the country. The effort will be part of EDC's Adult Literacy Media Alliance (ALMA). The principal components of the project will be: Ten new, half-hour episodes of the television series, TV411, which is currently carried by approximately 100 public television stations. The new programs will shift the emphasis of the series from reading literacy to mathematics skills. In addition to covering a broad array of mathematical concepts, procedures and vocabulary, the programs will have an explicit focus on problem-solving strategies and attitudes about mathematics. A multi-level national outreach and marketing campaign to attract viewers and users to the materials and to increase carriage of the series. An in-depth implementation effort will be conducted with outreach partners is six large metropolitan areas. EDC will adapt the outreach, marketing and promotion aspects of this focused effort so that it can be used by all television stations that commit to carry the series. Formative and summative evaluation to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the materials and to inform the understanding of the impact on viewers and users of these types of materials.
WGBH is producing and disseminating two seasons of a daily, half-hour television science series and accompanying outreach for three to five year olds. The series will be carried nationally as part of Discovery Television's newly expanded Discovery Kids. The project, "Peep and the Big Wide World," will model a developmentally-appropriate process of inquiry and exploration, nurture young children's innate curiosity, catalyze further hands-on exploration of the world around them, and motivate parents and care-givers to support and encourage these activities. The television programs will combine animation and short, live-action segments. The animation will weave the early childhood science curriculum into stories about three birds and their animal friends as they explore the world. Science content, unifying concepts, and habits of mind will be reinforced through two-minute live-action segments that show kids engaged in science play relating directly to the previous story. The television series will be supported by a comprehensive "Anywhere Science" outreach component of the project. "Anywhere Science" reinforces the fact that opportunities to experience and enjoy science exist in most facets of life. It will offer a range of activities -- through both web and print materials -- that can be enjoyed by just about anyone, just about anywhere. "Anywhere Science" is being designed to show parents and caregivers how important it is to support children's curiosity and how easy it is to engage in activities that help develop their science "habits of mind." The outreach campaign will be built around the new National Association for the Education of Young Children professional development standards and Head Start's science framework. The content director for "Peep and the Big Wide World" is Karen Worth, Senior Scientist at the Education Development Center and the Co-Director of the Center for Urban Science Education Reform. She is also the Principal Investigator of "Tool Kits for Early Childhood Science Education" that is developing national standards for preschool science education. The Executive Producer for the project is Kate Taylor who has previously served as Executive Producer for"ZOOM," " Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego," and "Degrassi Junior High." The creator of PEEP and animation artist is Kai Pindal, former Head of Animation at Danish Television. The head writer is Kathy Waugh who has written four seasons of the Emmy winning children's series, "Arthur." Evaluation will be conducted by Rockman et al. Advisors for the series include Barbara Bowman, President of the Erikson Institute for Advanced Study in Child Development; Diane Levin, Professor of Education at Wheelock College; Tera O'Hora, Consultant and Workshop Facilitator for "Science Beyond the Sandtable;" Kathy Paget, an early childhood educator working as a science curriculum developer and evaluator of science-related educational projects at the Technical Education Research Center; Diane Whitehead, a Quality Initiative Coordinator for the National Head Start Association; and Elizabeth Young, Director of Head Start Child Care in Cambridge, MA.
Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation is producing three seasons of a regional television series that will enable audiences to explore, appreciate and learn about the relationship between science and everyday life in Northern New England. The project is being developed in collaboration with public television stations in Vermont and New Hampshire and will attract viewers by focusing on content and issues that are of unique interest to this area. It addresses the critical need to improve science literacy in this predominantly rural region of the country. Ancillary materials will be developed for use at home, in the community, and in classrooms and will consist of: Quest "Take-Home" Activity Pages, "In Your Community" Guides, Quest Community Events, and Classroom Lesson Plans and Suggested Activities.
WGBH is producing four, two-hour programs on the lives of scientists. These programs will be the initial programs in a continuing series of television portraits of distinguished scientists to be broadcast as regular features in the prime-time science series NOVA. The scientists to be covered in the first four programs are Galileo Galilei, Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, and Percy Julian. By illuminating the lives and scientific careers of these important figures, the programs will enhance public understanding of such basic scientific concepts as evolution, the solar system, the chemical bond and the structure of the atom. Ultimately, the programs will give viewers a new perspective on the process of scientific discovery. Ancillary educational support for the programs will include enhanced content on the web site at NOVA Online and classroom support material in the NOVA Teacher's Guide that is mailed to 60,000 teachers nationwide. WGBH also has formed an outreach partnership with the American Library Association to create informal educational resources for use by families, youths, and adults. The core of this special outreach plan is a set of Library Resource Kits that will be available to all 16,000 public libraries. Paula Apsell, Executive Producer for NOVA, will serve as PI for the project. Members of the advisory committee include: Evelyn Fox Keller, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, MIT; Kenneth R. Manning, Thomas Meloy Professor of Rhetoric and of the History of Science, MIT; Noami Oreskes, Associate Professor of History, University of California, San Diego; Daniel I. Rubenstein, Chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University; and Neil D. Tyson, Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium.