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Asked by Joe to Francesca, Laura, Matthew, Andrew, Rebecca on 10 Nov 2014.
Question: One of my science teachers worked on a Science TV show, would you ever consider doing the same?
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Andrew McKinley answered on 10 Nov 2014:
I would certainly consider it, but I’d want to make sure that the science comes first, and is not manipulated in any way. I fear that some reactions are ‘staged’ to make them more spectacular, and I’d want to make sure that this does not happen!
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Matthew Camilleri answered on 10 Nov 2014:
Yes, I would definitely do it, and I will try and use all the effects possible to make science look cool. Unfortunately there are a number of connotations with science that it is for a certain type of people, which is not true,a s science can be found all around us.
Programs such as mythbusters take science to the extreme and they are not a true representation, but they still make people take an interest, and although they might be playing with the boundaries of science the end result is justified. One might have to use such shows to get people to take an interest, and this is a case where the end justifies the means.
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Laura Schofield answered on 10 Nov 2014:
I would love it!! Especially if it had a pretty big budget! Shows like Blue Peter when I was a kid were the only shows that even attempted to explain science to kids. There was nothing for adults though! I would love to be a part of a show aimed at people of all ages so that parents could watch with their kids and learn all different kinds of scientific phenomena.
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Francesca Palombo answered on 10 Nov 2014:
It sounds awesome! I am quite shy, not sure it would work for me.
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Rebecca Ingle answered on 11 Nov 2014:
I think I share a lot of scientists frustration with some of the ‘science’ TV shows that are out there such as Mythbusters and Brainiac, as whilst they’re funny and amusing, there’s not really much science in them and some of it is actually inaccurate and wrong, which is a shame as I think TV can be a format that is both really educational and entertaining at the same time.
Comments
Joe commented on :
@Matthew What about shows such as ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’, which, from what I can remember consisted of small home experiments, with a full plan, and smaller analogies throughout?
Matthew commented on :
I think it is all about the target audience, there are shows that tend to attract kids and those that attracts adults. Unfortunately interacting with adults is more difficult and normally requires something more ‘exciting’ and dramatic, such as an explosion.
The nurturing of kids is important, cos they are knowledge hungry and are always excited about doing an experiment. Sometimes we as scientists, me included fail to acknowledge that if we manage to keep kids interested all throughout their lives then we would not have to think of ways how to get adults to fall back in love with science.
Joe commented on :
@Francesca would you consider WRITING for a TV show?
Joe commented on :
While you’re all together for I’m a Scientist, would you consider doing a show explaining your different areas in spectroscopy at a level advanced enough to not be patronising to a scientist, yet simple enough that an interested, child could understand?
Andrew commented on :
That would be a fantastic idea Joe – I think if you put the five of us together we could probably get enough material for a 20 minute show on spectroscopy! (that is actually quite a long time… you’d need probably an hour from each of us, so five hours of footage, to edit down to a really good 20 minute show!)
Laura commented on :
I would definitely be interested in the Joe! It would have to start at a very basic level and build up so that people with no knowledge of spectroscopy wouldn’t get left behind but that scientists such as yourself who are clearly very interested and know a fair about spectroscopy don’t get bored and still can learn some things!