Mindboggling: Preliminaries to a science of the mind by Roy Harris. Due to be published on the 19th September, 2008.
Science on Television by Bienvenido León.
The book is a clear and systematic guide to the narrative and rhetorical techniques used by science documentary filmmakers. The book is priced at £18.50, but for direct orders we are offering a 20% discount.
Motivating Science, is a collection of articles from the first five years of The Pantaneto Forum. We are offering a 20% discount for direct orders.
Editorial
Part of a scientist’s training should include dealing with the media, in particular, with television, which is the most testing as well as the most important outlet. There are always some that relish the thought of being interviewed on television, but for most scientists their lack of experience and training is good reason to be unnerved by the thought of such an ordeal. For those scientists who have not had the benefit of media training, and for those that have, the documentary filmmaker Christian Darkin has a web blog which goes behind the scenes of science programming. In “How to be interviewed for TV – a guide for scientists”, Darkin gives a detailed account of what constitutes a good interview and provides, for anyone about to face the cameras, a useful guide.
Any method of teaching physics which promotes understanding and interest in the subject is to be welcomed. In “Physics with a Smile”, Roni Mualem and Bat-Sheva Eylon analyse a problem-solving strategy method, which develops students’ qualitative understanding of the subject. Such methods as employed in Israel, not only serve as a basis for traditional quantitative treatment of the subject at higher levels, but also lead to an increase in the number of students who elect to study physics as an option in senior high school.
Everybody likes a story and science is no exception. Not only as a means of engaging the readership, but also as a teaching tool, narrative structure to scientific communication enhances understanding of both the natural world as well as the human world. In “Science as Narrative”, Lucy Avraamidou and Jonathan Osborne use the discovery of Penicillin exhibition at the Alexander Fleming museum as an example of narrative communication of science to the public. Their conclusions are that the narrative approach’s value is in promoting understanding of science by non-experts and serves to include the interrelationship between science and society as well as describing scientific facts.
Nigel Sanitt
Editor
ISSN 1741-1572
Contents
Articles
How to be interviewed for TV – a guide for scientists, Christian Darkin
Science as Narrative: The story of the discovery of penicillin, Lucy Avraamidou and Jonathan Osborne
Book Review