STUFF: The Materials that Shape our World

WGBH正在申请资金，制作一个四小时的NOVA电视特别节目，并附带有关物质在我们生活中无处不在的作用的网络和外展活动。该项目的总体目标是：1)提高公众对材料科学的参与和理解，包括对其对社会影响的认识；2)促进教育工作者、科学家和社区组织之间的合作，以接触到广泛的受众；3)创造扩大非正式科学学习的有效方法，这些方法可以对其在该领域的持久影响进行评估。迷你系列《材料：塑造我们世界的材料》将介绍推动材料科学创新的人类和科学因素，从古代的突破到今天生物和纳米材料的爆炸式发展。这四集以“更强”、“更小”、“更聪明”和“更清洁”为主题，将明确关注材料科学的跨学科性质，并展示过去发明和令人兴奋的新发现的戏剧性故事。NOVA团队将与材料研究协会（MRS）合作制作该系列。《STUFF》系列预计将于2008年秋季在PBS播出。WGBH和MRS将与当地公共广播电台合作，培训当地科学家进行公共宣传。多媒体研究将对项目组成部分进行形成性评价，古德曼研究集团将对该系列和推广工作进行总结性评价。

WGBH is requesting funds to produce a four-hour NOVA television special with accompanying Web and outreach activities about the pervasive role of materials in our lives. The overarching goals of the project are to: 1) enhance public engagement in and understanding of materials science, including appreciation of its effects on society; 2) promote collaboration among educators, scientists and community-based organizations to reach a broad audience; and 3) create effective methods of expanding informal science learning that can be evaluated for their lasting impact on the field. The mini-series, "STUFF: The Materials that Shape our World," will offer an appreciation of the human and scientific factors that drive innovation in materials science, from ancient breakthroughs to today's explosion of biological and nanomaterials. The four episodes, themed around "Stronger," "Smaller," "Smarter" and "Cleaner" will provide a clear focus on the interdisciplinary nature of materials science and showcase dramatic stories of past inventions and exciting new discoveries. The NOVA team in association with the Materials Research Society (MRS) will produce the series. The "STUFF" series is anticipated to be broadcast on PBS in the fall of 2008. WGBH and MRS will work with local PBS stations to train local scientists in public outreach. Multimedia Research will conduct formative evaluation of the project components, and Goodman Research Group will conduct summative evaluation of both the series and the outreach efforts.