• Question: do you want your work to be shown on TV?!

    Asked by giuola to Meeks, Pete, Stephen, Steve, Tom on 22 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Marieke Navin

      Marieke Navin answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      I would LOVE it to! If only the BBC would call!

    • Photo: Stephen Curry

      Stephen Curry answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Hi Giuola,

      That would be cool but for the time being I have to be content with YouTube!

      Much of science is a bit full and technical (sad but true) and might be a bit difficult to weave into an interesting story that would keep the viewers attention. It is a tricky problem. I’m not sure that any of my particular findings are sufficiently exciting to merit TV attention but there are some great stories in my filed — structural biology — that I would like to be able to tell.

      I went on a course last month to learn how to do computer animation which I think will help me to make some molecular videos. I had a first go but the result is even cheesier that my other cheesy video (and a bit silly!)

      But I think I could do something a bit more serious with this… 😉

      But I can

    • Photo: Tom Hartley

      Tom Hartley answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      I’d like my work and the topics that interest me to receive their fair share of attention on TV, but this is not something I really worry about. I am not that anxious to become a star.

      Actually some of my colleagues who work in neuroimaging and even in the area of I specialise in (finding your way and getting lost) are fairly high profile and quite often featured on TV. It seems to be a topic that interests people, and being visual (brain images lighting up with activity) it works well on telly.

      One reason why slightly more retiring scientists such as myself should make an effort is to ensure that the public gets a more rounded picture of science and scientists. It pains me to say this, but Stephen’s cheesy video spells this out really nicely.

      That said I think many of those who have a big public profile already do a great job.

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