An Electric Education: How to Teach Science on Television

For seven decades scientific showmen and wizards have entertained Americans on television. How have they captured the attention of audiences? What tricks of the trade have been developed to make a dull science experiment into electric entertainment?

To help answer these questions Ingrid Ockert watched old episodes of beloved science series, read scripts, and interviewed television producers. In this talk she will reveal what she learned about how a good science television series becomes a great series, and screen clips from such shows as Watch Mr. Wizard and 3-2-1 Contact! Ockert will also share her perspective on what makes a memorable science program iconic, decades later.

About the Speaker
Ingrid Ockert is a historian of science and media in the 20th century. She holds a PhD from the History of Science Program at Princeton University. Previously, she ran a lecture series for Princeton’s Council on Science. She has collaborated with Oregon Public Broadcasting, WGBH, WHYY, and WPRB. Ingrid’s work has been supported with grants from the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center, NASA, and AmeriCorps. She also serves as a cochair for the American Archive of Public Broadcasting’s Scholarly Advisory Committee.

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