WGBH is producing the fifth and sixth seasons of NOVA scienceNOW, a multimedia project that addresses a wide array of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects via multiple platforms. They include national PBS broadcast, the PBS web site, and innovative outreach activities such as an expanded Science Café initiative. Hosted by astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Season Five will air in 2010; Season Six in 2011. The focus is "stories of transformative research," e.g., nanotechnology, stem cells, quantum computing, as well as clean energy, and climate change. Project goals are to "produce a lasting impact on Americans' appreciation for and understanding of current scientific research," and to encourage an interest in STEM careers among younger viewers.
Building upon solid prior work, the proposed project is finding new ways to interweave the television show, web materials, and Science Cafés to provide multiple entry points and pathways for the audience. For example, they will produce 32 web-only scientist profiles supported by a blog and social media tools, and then train these scientists as presenters for the Science Cafés. NOVA is planning a new strategy to maximize carriage and increase audience for the six new programs per year; the programs will run consecutively in the NOVA Wednesday evening primetime slot during the summer. During Season Three, over 2.7 million television viewers per week tuned in NOVA scienceNow, with 62,000 unique visitors to the web site per month and 75 active Science Cafés across the country.
The expanded Science Café initiative is designed to become self-sustaining beyond the grant period through new partnerships with groups such as the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the American Chemical Society, and the Coalition for the Public Understanding of Science. The project will also collaborate with the Association of Science-Technology Centers and science centers around the country to host Science Cafés featuring scientists profiled on the web.
Goodman Research Group will assess the reach and effectiveness of Seasons Five and Six. The focal/primary evaluation activity is a viewing and engagement study on the influence of viewing the series along with accessing and participating actively with the increased web and outreach offerings. This study will comprise web-based surveys with adaptive branching patterns, which will include data collection from a variety of participants and will focus on participants? use of the series, website, and outreach. The summative evaluation will measure how the project is reaching these audience segments, while also meeting the overall goals of increasing public understanding of science and engagement in science-related activities.
Have you ever taken a bite of your favorite meal, and marveled at how such amazing flavor or texture was possible? Perhaps you’ve received that classic guilty look from your dog and wondered what they were really thinking? Or perhaps you’ve thought—with so much new technology out there – would it ever be possible to control your TV with your mind? While we may have asked ourselves these sorts of questions and come up with few explanations on our own, the sixth season of the popular PBS series NOVA scienceNOW delves deep into the science behind six such "big questions" to provide its audiences with science and technology-focused answers in a fun and engaging way. NOVA scienceNOW invites viewers to experience the scientific process itself, as affable host and popular New York Times columnist David Pogue poses questions to research scientists, then leads viewers through a series of fascinating answers. Scientifically rigorous yet entertaining, the series explores cutting-edge research in STEM fields on a quest to find answers to: What Makes Us Human?, Can Science Stop Crime?, How Smart Can We Get?, Can I Eat That?, What Are Animals Thinking?, and What Will the Future Be Like? The series reached a large audience during its six week broadcast on PBS in the fall of 2012— approximately 12 million viewers tuned in and over 500,000 video views were generated online. In addition to the series, the project included a range of multimedia resources and a public outreach initiative. Science educators could access teaching materials related to the series, a network of science cafés across the country brought community members and scientists together to discuss science topics in informal settings, and a suite of accompanying online resources allowed users to explore NOVA scienceNOW topics in depth with interactives, videos, articles, and radio segments on PRI’s The World. NOVA scienceNOW helped inspire audiences to appreciate current scientific research, reached younger viewers with the message that science and STEM topics are exciting, and countered negative stereotypes of scientists. As one viewer commented: "Love these fascinating and intriguing shows…Thanks again for this wonderfully informative and interactive series;" another commented that "The program demonstrated and reconfirmed my belief that if the mind is challenged it will innovate and excel." This positive feedback was also echoed in the program’s external evaluation, which reported that NOVA scienceNOW inspired viewers to learn more about science and stay up-to-date with current research and that outreach was successful in drawing in new and younger viewers, especially through social media. With limited options for educational, entertaining, and accurate science journalism in the current media landscape, it is essential to provide opportunities for the public to connect with science in informal yet meaningful ways. NOVA scienceNOW fills this gap with stories of transformative science that help millions connect STEM research to their everyday lives. Helping people engage with science also serves the broader goal of building a more scientifically literate society. NOVA scienceNOW created opportunities for families to sit down together to enjoy and discuss programs on brain science or robotics, for children to be encouraged to pursue scientific ideas, and for friends to visit a local pub and talk with an expert about neuroscience or engineering; these are the elements of a science literate society. Opportunities like these help support the development of future generations of scientists and engineers – researchers who love what they do and who will, in turn, inspire and help others with their work.
