Bringing science from your lab to the living room

1
Bringing science from your lab to the living room
A partnership between the National Science
Foundation (NSF), American Institute of Physics
(AIP), MRS, and others for the advocacy of
science and technology in society
2
Understanding how the public gets
information Trends in regular news consumption,
percentage of viewers per year

(Source Pew Research Center, 2004)
3
What is DBIS?

• Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science
  (DBIS) is a syndicated science and engineering
  news service for local television newscasts.
• Twelve 90-second segments are produced per month
• Each segment is reviewed for scientific accuracy
• DBIS features a broad range of topics in science,
  technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
• Goals
• Promote awareness and appreciation among local TV
  news viewers of the role that STEM play in
  society
• Deliver broad spectrum research newsutilizing
  strength of TV medium
• Enhance the image of scientists and engineers
• Expose audiences to diverse racial and gender
  STEM professionals
• Provide and educational science web component

4
Science in the news

• MRS Story Ideas
• Synthetic Diamonds
• How scientists can make diamonds
• Sensitive Teeth
• Bioactive ceramic to ease tooth pain
• Invisibility cloak
• Watch out Harry Potter!!
• Other Ideas Under Construction
• Organic electronics
• Pebble Bed Nuclear Reactors
• Metal Rubber
• E-textiles
• Many, many more

• Requirements
• Must be visually stimulating
• Should be of interest to most not regionally
  limited
• Research should provide direct benefits to
  general public within next few years
• Researchers should be located in US
• Must not have received extensive TV coverage
• Should be new research resulting in a solution or
  that explains a scientific technical mystery
• Must be able to illustrate the concept
• Must have an outside expert available for review
• Medical stories should be in at least phase II of
  clinical trials

5
Who will the stories reach?
Over 70 Million Possible Viewers Nationwide
6
Science on the ride to work
Total Average Minimum Audience Views 40 million
(2nd quarter 2006)
7
2006 Partners - 19 organizations

• Acoustical Society of America
• American Association of Physics Teachers
• American Association of Physicists in Medicine
• American Geophysical Union
• American Institute of Physics
• American Mathematical Society
• American Meteorological Society
• AVS Science and Technology Society
• American Society of Civil Engineers
• American Society for Microbiology
• American Water Works Association
• Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
• Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
• Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
  USA
• Materials Research Society
• Mathematical Association of America
• Optical Society of America
• Space Telescope Science Institute
• Universities Research Association

8

• DBIS Working With Partners

Partners Input Story Ideas
Story Pre-approval Story Approval Draft
Script Developed Final Script Approved
Video Produced Final Approval By AIP
Partners Input Outside Experts
Partners Review Script
9
Nielsen Tracking Data
Average of 51 Million Views per monthly feed
10
UMC

• Asking for ideas for stories from the UMC Members
• MRS DBIS Committee
• Professor Jerrold Floro, University of Virginia
• Professor Kevin Jones, University of Florida
• Diane Hickey, University of Florida
• Lane Martin, University of California, Berkeley
• Ben Poquette, Virginia Tech
• Please email ideas to kjones_at_eng.ufl.edu