WGBH Educational Foundation is producing Season I of Zoom, a daily half-hour television series for children aged 8 to 11. Zoom, which is based on the highly successful 1970's series of the same name, features a cast of seven children who engage in activities and examine ideas submitted by youth who watch the show. The new Zoom will have an enhanced educational concentration, an emphasis on science and math activities and projects, and a comprehensive outreach campaign. A major focus of the series will be to develop "Habits of Mind" which promote the capacity to think about the same ideas and evidence in multiple ways; collect, organize, and recognize patterns in data; identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations; and develop skills of estimation, judgment, and data literacy. Season I will have three over-arching science and math-based themes: Structures, Things That Go, and Living Things. Each program will include two or three science and math segments, as well as encouragement to try these activities at home. From time to time, the cast will provide a "challenge" for viewers by asking them to conduct an activity as home and send in their results for presentation on a later show. Field-produced segments will feature children engaged in science or math projects that they have found particularly fascinating and have done on their own. The series also will revisit projects or "challenges" over the course of a season to demonstrate that science is an on-going, evolving endeavor and that new information may change old assumptions. Zoom outreach activities will include a Zoom science guide for educators, a World Wide Web Site, museum Zoom rooms, community partnerships with three national organizations that work with underserved children. In addition, every viewer who writes, calls an 800 number, or sends an e-mail will receive a free four-page newsletter with directions needed to complete activities from the series and to tackle challenge s that the cast issues to the audience. Kate Taylor will be Executive Producer for the project. She has been co-executive producer for Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? and for Degrassi Junior High. The Science and Math Director will be Candace Julyan, Senior Project Director at TERC. The Director of Outreach will be Beth Kirsch who oversees the development and implementation of national outreach campaigns for WGBH. The staff will work closely with a group of consultants and advisors with expertise in such areas as science and mathematics, informal science, outreach, and evaluation.
National Public Radio will produce and distribute a weekly, one-hour program entitled, "Weekly Edition: Science, The Environment, and Technology," which consists of a compilation of the best science stories aired during the previous week on "Morning Edition," "All Things Considered," and "Weekly Edition." Each program will be varied, looking back at the week in science and reviewing main stories. The hour format also will enable the producers to go into greater depth than was done in the daily coverage. They will expand the news pieces with additional interviews and/or out-takes reporters were unable to use on the daily programs. As part of the NPR outreach program, the project will develop "Weekly Science" on "Kids Connection (Science Friday)" as part of the World Wide Web. Each week, that week's program as well as additional science information and bibliographies will be entered on the "Science Friday" homepage. The PI and executive producer for the series will be Anne Gudenkauf, Senior Editor at NPR. Richard Harris and Joe Palca will host the series. Harris has been an on-air host for NPR produced summaries of congressional action on health reform and both have substituted for Ira Flatow on NPR'S TALK OF THE NATION: SCIENCE FRIDAY. The program producer will be Jane Greenhalgh.
David Grubin Production, Inc., in conjunction with Thirteen/WNET, is producing a multimedia project entitled, The Secret Life of the Brain. The project will examine new understandings into the processes of the human brain that have developed over the last decade. Through an exploration of the brain's normal development from conception through old age, the project conveys the most recent knowledge available. The series will enable audiences to appreciate the current revolution in neuroscience, understand how new technologies have enabled scientists to unearth a wealth of information, and learn how neuroscience research impacts the health and future well-being of the average person. The five one-hour programs in the series will explore the brain from conception through age two, childhood from age two through puberty, adolescence, adulthood, and normal aging process in older age. Educational outreach materials for use in informal and formal setting will include two separate sets of printed materials, one for adolescents and one for adults. A Secret Life of the Brain Web Site will include Brain Games, the Brain Quiz, and the Live Brain that present learning opportunities for adults and teens. The project Principal Investigator will be David Grubin who will serve as Executive Producer. Grubin previously was the producer of Healing and the Mind with Bill Moyers and the critically acclaimed biographies of Lyndon Johnson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Theodore Roosevelt. June Kinoshita, an internationally recognized science reporter and editor, will serve as the Series Science Editor. Lead advisors for each program will be Bruce McEwen, President-elect of the Society for Neuroscience and Professor at Rockefeller University (Program 1); Steve Petersen, Director, Division of Neuropsychology, Dept. of Neurology and Neurological Surgery at the Washington University School of Medicine (Program 2); Steven Hyman, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (Programs 3 & 4); and Carl Cotman, Director for the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia at the University of California, Irvine (Program 5). Robert Miller of WNET will be responsible for the educational materials to accompany The Secret Life of the Brain.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
David GrubinTamara RobinsonWilliam Grant
Unicorn Projects, Inc. is producing a project about historic mills in American and the science and technology of their operation. The project will combine a nationally broadcast one-hour PBS special with print and interactive educational materials for the home and school markets along with family-oriented personal appearance by host-author David Macaulay at selected museum and mill sites across the country. The goal of the project is to acquaint viewers and participants with the technological innovations and the scientific, social and historical significance of water-powered mills in the early part of the industrial revolution. In addition to the television program the project will produce Mill Times newspapers applicable in formal as well as informal settings, curriculum-based school videos and teachers guides, activity kits including "toys" designed to introduce concepts in applied mechanics, and family-activity programs at selected sites. The PI and Producer/Director will be Larry Klein who has produced and directed the previous Macaulay programs among many other PBS specials. David Macaulay, author of many best-selling books on architecture and technology, will be the host and will work closely with Mark Olshaker, the writer, in developing the script for the program. The Education Director will be Toby Levine. The principal technology and history advisor will be Patrick Malone, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and American Civilization at Brown University and past president of the Society for Industrial Archaeology. The science advisor will be Theodore Ansbacher, principal of Science Services, an informal science education consulting company. Other advisors include Robert Dalzell, Gary Kulik, Judith McGaw, and Merrit Roe Smith.
Educational Broadcasting Corporation (WNET, NY) is developing a multi-media environmental education project for youth aged 8 to 12. Wild World focuses on American children's everyday urban and suburban surroundings - city streets, parks, backyards, vacant lots, the woods, and similar environments easily and often accessible to the audience. The project will educate young people about environmental and natural science topics and issues in an entertaining, engaging way, and will encourage them to become more aware of their immediate environment. Important goals are to showcase people who are passionate about their work with, and in, natural surroundings, and to show that our world is intriguing and well worth investigating. The science content will reflect the recommendations of the National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Science Literacy. Major components of the project include: * A thirteen part series of half-hour television programs entitled Wild TV -- this exciting and occasionally irreverent series is designed to attract viewers indifferent to traditional nature documentary program. The format is also intended to appeal to young people with little pre-disposition to science or nature. * Wild Comix -- a comic book-styled educational print piece for young people that includes activities that kids can try at home, puzzles, and other thought-provoking exercises. * Wild Web -- a World Wide Web site featuring an interactive version of the comic book, activities and puzzles, a chat room, a bulletin board, and links to environmental groups. * A Home and Extracurricular Settings: Activity Guide - intended for parents and informal educators, the guide will include: enriching nature appreciation for the entire family; improving the learning relationship between children and their parents; and activities/directions for parents that are not prohibitive with regard to area, income, and adults' educational background. * Classroom materia ls - a 12-page guide designed as an introductory resource for classroom teachers who want to incorporate environmental science activities into their teaching.
WGBH will develop, produce, and distribute Wonders of the Modern World, a project that examines the science and technology behind the building of five international landmarks -- the Golden Gate Bridge, the Aswan Dam, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Toronto Skydome, and the English Channel Tunnel connecting Great Britain and France. Wonders of the Modern World is an integrated, synergistic project that combines a nationally-broadcast, prime time television series with print, interactive components, and on-line products for home and school. The goals of the project are to educate the public about concepts in physical science, technology, and engineering and to engage youth and adults in a diverse range of science and technology activities using various media ranging from on-line telecommunications to print. The specific components of the project include: o A prime time PBS television series consisting of five one-hour programs that will be hosted by David Macaulay, author of numerous popular books on technology such as How Things Work, Cathedral, Castle, and Pyramid, o A World Wide Web site where users can conduct interactive science and technology activities, o Print guides to help with on-line activities, o Family-oriented video vignettes with experiments in structural design, o Activity kits that include the materials needed for conducting family-based science experiments, o Curriculum-based school videos, o Student/teacher guides that will help interpret the series for classroom use, and o A CD-ROM. WGBH has formed alliances with four national organizations that will undertake a major effort to engage members of underserved and low-income communities in the series and the ancillary activities. These organizations are The Boys and Girls Clubs of America, The Community Technology Centers Network, The Public Library Association, and The American Architectural Foundation. The PI and Project Director will be Paula Apsell, Executive Producer for NOV A and Head of the WGBH Science Unit. Larry Klein, Head of Production Group, Inc., will be the Series Executive Producer and Co-PI. Beth Kirsch of WGBH will serve as Director of Educational Print and Outreach, and Mark Olshaker will be series editor and scriptwriter. Ted Sicker, Executive Producer for Interactive Projects/New Media at WGBH Educational Foundation will direct the development and deployment of the on-line components of the project. Barbara Flagg will conduct formative evaluation and Irene Goodman will conduct summative evaluation.
The Center for Science and the Media is requesting $2,006,069, of a total budget of $5,597,518, to develop the Science and Technology News Network (STN2) that will produce science news segments to be used by local television stations in their news programs. The products delivered to the stations will include 90-second video news stories in two versions -- with and without voice-over; scripts that local newscasters can read on air; topical and regional tips sheets to help producers localize the stories; follow-up research and one-on-one support by the project staff; explanatory or science-angle sidebars; web stories to introduce upcoming TV stories and provide more in-depth coverage; and Internet support with resources important to local TV producers. The project also provides content to the abcnews.com science site and to ABC News One, the network affiliate news service. The science modules will produce segments in both English and Spanish. The PI and General Manager for the project is Eliene Augenbraun, a former research scientist with experience in management and media. The News Director and Co-PI is Ira Flatow. They will work with an advisory committee of scientists and science journalists.
KCTS, the public broadcasting station in Seattle, WA, is producing and distributing15 new half-hour episodes for the children's television series, Bill Nye the Science Guy. Topics being considered for these programs include: Caves Jungles Animal Behavior Entropy Home Demo Lakes and Ponds Felines Convection Smell and Taste Life Cycles Minerals Adhesives Atoms and Molecules Organs Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors The project also will include outreach to viewers, teachers, and parents by providing the following materials: A teachers kit to be distributed to 150,000 fourth-grade teachers nationwide Fifty thousand free copies of a printed parents' guide and 15-minuted video distributed through an off-air off and community partner groups Meet a Way Cool Scientist national print contest in which children will be invited to write and illustrate a profile of a scientist in their community Nye Labs Online, a Web site with series information, science topics, hands-on experiments, and an e-mail connection to Bill Nye and the production team Conference Presentations and workshops about the project's approach to science education for PBS stations, teacher groups, and the three partnering organizations, Girls Incorporated, the National Urban League, and the National Conference of La Raza Rockman Et Al will conduct a summative evaluation to extend the understanding of the show's impact on children's attitudes toward and understanding of science. It also will examine the size and composition of the in-school audience, and will assess the use and value of the outreach materials.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Elizabeth BrockJames McKennaErren GottliebWilliam Nye
The Shape of Life is a major new documentary series that will take viewers on a journey to explore the kingdom of animals through the blueprints or body plans that shape every species alive today. Each episode will incorporate current advances in genetics, developmental biology, and evaluation, presenting them in a manner that is accessible to the lay audience. The series has been developed by the Sea Studios Foundation and is a co-production of Sea Studios Foundation and National Geographic Television. The eight, one-hour television programs will be supported by a consortium of informal science institutions that will implement ancillary programs in partner museums, zoos, and aquaria and by outreach materials, including print and a web site. Mark Shelley, President of Sea Studios, and Nancy Burnett, CEO of the Sea Studios Foundation, will be co-Executive Producers of the series. Chuck Baxter, Professor of Biology at Stanford University, will be the Science Content Director. Science advisors include: Richard C. Brusca, Marine Biology Graduate Program, University of Charleston; Mimi Koehl, Department of Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley; Jane Lubchenko, Department of Zoology, Oregon State University; Rudolf A. Raff, Indiana Molecular Biology Institute; and Dennis Willows, Director, Friday Harbor Marine Station, University of Washington.
Over a period of three years, Wisconsin Public Television is producing the science strand in the television series, Get Real!. This series, which is broadcast on all public television stations and many commercial stations in Wisconsin, presents children involved in and succeeding at a variety of activities. The youth hosts introduce kids as heroes, problem-solvers, thinkers, learners, and helpers. These stories present role models to help enhance self-image and the sense of worth. The science strand runs through each of the programs, delivering science as an integral ingredient of the wide-ranging vignettes which are directly relevant to the audiences' world and interests. The series is designed for at-home viewing. However, to ensure that the science strand works within the context of the science curriculum used in Wisconsin public schools, the project has developed partnerships with The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters through its Center for the Advancement of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education (CASE) and the Wisconsin Elementary and Middles Level Science Teachers (WEST) association. This request is support continued production of the science strand, expand outreach, and to extend carriage into neighboring states. Wisconsin Public Television has made a commitment to include the science strand as a regular part of the series and is developing a business plan to develop a steady source of revenue to support its production. Therefore, this request is for declining support over the three years of the grant.
KCTS is producing Sci-Squad, a national weekly science education television series for children ages 8 to 10. The thirteen half-hour programs in the series will show a team of kids, the Sci-Squad, who use inquire and collaboration to seek the solution to a science problem. The team is led by Howzit, a young woman computer whiz. Working cooperatively the team investigates each scientific subject through a combination of first-hand experimentation, Internet surfing, field research, and visits to real-world scientists. Each of the characters models a different mode of science inquiry in search to a question the team receives at the beginning of each program. Youth who view the programs will be encouraged to follow along with the Sci-Squad and will be challenged to observe, measure, think critically, analyze results, and devise further experiments. Outreach materials to support science activities by viewers include an Explorer's Guide for youth, a Parents Guide, and a Guide for Teachers. There also will be collaborations with science and youth serving organizations such as Boys & Girls Club of America, Family Math, GEMS, Science Linkages in the Community, the National Science Teachers Association, the National PTA, and, for the Hispanic population, ASPIRA and the National Council of La Raza. Bill Jersey, President of Quest Productions, will be the Senior Producer, Director, and Co-Project Director. The creator of the project and Co-Project Director is Pierre Valette, a producer and writer of documentaries for Quest Productions and previously an Associate Producer in Children's Programming at WGBH. Elizabeth Brock will be the Executive-in-Charge of Production for KCTS. The Senior Science Consultant is Ted Ansbacher who previously was Director of Exhibits at the New York Hall of Science and Director of Education/Senior Scientist at The Chicago Museum of Science.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Bill JerseyPierre ValetteElizabeth BrockJeff GentesBarbara Flagg
Twin Cities Public Television (KCTA) is producing and evaluating a pilot for a new science series for children ages 8-12 to be produced in conjunction with Miami University of Ohio and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Called Dragonfly, the pilot will be based on the children's magazine of the same name and will consist of segments presented by children that document their own science investigations and presentations by professional scientists of work in related fields. Each program will include two or more presentations by children, one or two presentations by scientists, a science challenge to be resolved within the show, one or two hands-on activities to engage viewers at home, and a presentation of children's artwork or poem in which they express their impressions of science and nature. The series would be coordinated with the Dragonfly magazine and with a parallel program, Dragonfly Quest, an Internet and youth-based activity pilot endeavor funded under another grant. The Executive Producer would be Richard Hudson, who has previously served as Executive Producer for Newton's Apple, a series also produced by KCTA. Chris Myers, of Miami University and creator of the magazine, will have primary responsibility for the science content, and Phyllis Marcuccio at the NSTA will be responsible for the coordination between the television project and the magazine, which is published by NSTA. The producers will work with an advisory committee that includes Gerald Wheeler, Lawrence Lowery, Joan McShane, Hardy Eshbaugh, Shawn Carlson, Kenneth Phillips, Milton Chen, James Steinbach, and Cheryl Gotthelf.