Day: January 26, 2009

Putting Real Science in Hollywood Screenplays

/ Matt Artz

Dear Hollywood: When we see a movie where the science very quickly doesn’t add up, no amount of suspension of disbelief or jaw-dropping special effects can make up for the bad science.

In an effort to make science-based movies more watchable, The National Academy of Sciences recently launched a new program to help inject Hollywood screenplays with a healthy dose of real science.

“The Science & Entertainment Exchange is a program of the National Academy of Sciences that provides entertainment industry professionals with access to top scientists and engineers to help bring the reality of cutting-edge science to creative and engaging storylines.”

The advisory board for The Exchange includes eminent scientists as well as Hollywood insiders like Dustin Hoffman and Rob Reiner.

For more details on the The Science & Entertainment Exchange, visit their web site.

2009 Thacher Scholar Awards: Entries Due by 06 April 2009

/ Matt Artz

“The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) announces the 2009 Thacher Scholars Award. This national competition for secondary school students was founded in honor of former IGES board member Peter Thacher, who died in 1999. Peter Thacher was former deputy executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, NASA advisor, and, at the time of his death, president of the Earth Council Foundation/U.S. He was a leader in promoting the use of satellite remote sensing.

“The 2009 Thacher Scholars Awards will be given to secondary school students (grades 9-12) demonstrating the best use of geospatial technologies or data to study Earth. Eligible geospatial tools and data include satellite remote sensing, aerial photography, geographic information systems (GIS), and Global Positioning System (GPS). The main focus of the project must be on the application of the geospatial tool(s) or data to study a problem related to Earth’s environment.”

For more information or to apply, visit the 2009 Thacher Scholar Awards web site.