NASA has awarded the University of Colorado Boulder鈥檚 Fiske Planetarium $1 million for the development of short, full-dome videos about space science-related discoveries that will be distributed to hundreds of planetariums nationwide.
The project, led by Fiske Director Douglas Duncan, will target the general public, K-12 students and college students and听provide听videos to more than 200 planetariums. The project, which will involve CU-Boulder students, is expected to advance STEM and other national education efforts and improve U.S. science literacy.
CU-Boulder is one of 27 science听education partners selected by NASA. Others include the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the University of Washington, the University of Michigan, Arizona State University, the University of Texas Austin and the Space Science Institute in Boulder.
The selections were made by the space agency鈥檚 Science Mission Directorate (SMD) through the Science Education Cooperative Agreement announced in February. The activities of the 27 winners will support Earth science, astrophysics, planetary science and solar physics activities regularly undertaken by NASA.
While some 20 million people visit planetariums each year, most facilities don鈥檛 feature new discoveries because they don鈥檛 have the staff to produce such videos, said Duncan, who also is a faculty member in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences. But CU-Boulder will be using experienced planetarium staff members and hiring talented Film Studies Program students for the effort, he said.
The space news pieces will be produced at Fiske under the direction of Duncan and the planetarium鈥檚 video producer, Thor Metzinger. Each piece will be 2 to听4 minutes in length and will report on new findings of interest to the public, said Duncan.
Because of the high quality of CU-Boulder research, at least some of the short videos will likely feature new university science findings, said Duncan. CU-Boulder is recognized as a national leader in astronomy, aerospace and Earth sciences听and is the number one public university in funding from NASA.
The audio portion of the videos will be modeled after the popular National Public Radio shows听鈥淩adiolab鈥� and 鈥淭his American Life,鈥� said Duncan, who spent 听four听years as a science commentator for the NPR station WBEZ in Chicago. Duncan currently provides regular science commentary on the Colorado Public Radio program听鈥淐olorado Matters.鈥� 听
Duncan said that short radio feature programs like 鈥淪tardate,鈥� produced by the McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas, and 鈥淓arth & Sky,鈥� syndicated by NPR, built audiences that reached 13 million people.
鈥淭he goal is to have our short 鈥榖onus pieces鈥� air in regularly in all 50 states,鈥� said Duncan. 鈥淲e are the only one of the 27 institutions selected by NASA to produce short science news videos听so it鈥檚 a little like getting a five-year contract for a TV show.鈥�
Funded projects for the new NASA initiative at other selected institutions include using NASA data to explore weather, NASA science for Girl Scouts听and science education associated with the upcoming 2017 total solar eclipse over North America.
鈥淭he Office of Education will assist in working with selectees for new approaches given their capabilities and priorities,鈥� said Donald James, associate administrator for NASA鈥檚 Office of Education. 鈥淭heir efforts will help create and sustain the scientific and engineering workforce of the future.鈥�
Contact:
Douglas Duncan, 303-735-1285
dduncan@colorado.edu
Jim Scott, CU-Boulder media relations, 303-492-3114
jim.scott@colorado.edu
