Multimedia Innovations to Inform, Inspire and Build a 21st Century Global Space Exploration Community
- Paper number
IAC-08.E1.4.1
- Author
Dr. Marlene MacLeish, National Space and Biomedical Research Institute, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Milton Clipper, Public Broadcasting Atlanta-Atlanta Educational Telecommunications Collabortive, Inc.,, United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
The Atlanta Educational Telecommunications Collaborative, Inc., (AETC) has sustained a decade-old partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) Education and Public Outreach Program (EPOP) to employ television (TV), radio and the Internet to: educate teachers and students about the mysteries of the universe; transfer space life science knowledge, including real health innovations that benefit life on Earth, to millions of ordinary citizens; and to contribute to global conversations about a collective world view of the nature of the universe and man’s place in the cosmos. This unique partnership has ignited the imagination of thousands of young students in classrooms across the US; informed millions of ordinary citizens about the benefits of space exploration technologies for people on Earth; produced multimedia products that enrich museums and science centers; and has encouraged public participation in, and appreciation of, the mysteries of the universe and the human quest to journey beyond the solar system. The proposed presentation will share some of the lessons learned from this sustained engagement between academia and the US telecommunications industry. The presenters will describe challenges associated with: translating complex science into language that ordinary people can understand; encouraging scientists to consider new ways of sharing research findings with the public; tailoring science content to fit some of the dictates of multimedia delivery; collecting usable data on listening/viewing audiences to satisfy the rigors of academic research; sustaining competitive media benchmarks; and responding to the rapidly evolving 21st Century telecommunications world, including copyright law and regulations. The presenters will describe the major organizational elements of their collaboration, which produced: a space exploration film archive; the six-nation NASA-Neurolab mission TV-documentary, Exploring Two Frontiers: The Neurolab Space Shuttle; an award–winning six-part public radio documentary, Biomedical Science for Space Travelers, and a National Public Radio series on sleep on Earth and in space. Also, the presenters will share strategies for sustaining programmatic gains in a rapidly changing global telecommunications world. Specific illustrations will include AETC’s E-Learning Center and Local Education Network System (LENS) as well as MSM-NSBRI’s educational outreach activities to museums and science centers. In conclusion, the presenters will seek dialogue with interested space exploration colleagues to build future global collaborations that re-imagine a World in which space exploration is aligned with humankind’s best images of a more informed, inspired, and just global community.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.E1.4.1.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.