New Opportunities for Public Engagement in Nuclear Science*

As a physicist filmmaker I will present innovative approaches for enhancing public engagement in nuclear science by intertwining scientific exploration with artistic expression, often regarded as separate worlds. In this talk the transformative power of storytelling through various, often unexpected mediums is centered on “Rare Connections”, the documentary film about the Facility of Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), and its people. This film demystifies nuclear science by presenting it as an accessible and integral part of our shared communal fabric, and by bringing in the limelight the remarkable and relatable connections between a highly diverse group of scientists, staff, technology, the arts, and the wider community.

Art has a profound effect on the brain, impacting  cognition, emotions,  social understandings and interactions. The creative process and the challenges of bringing a vision to life are not only shared by the sciences and the arts, but it is a deeply human journey of overcoming obstacles. Through an intimate cinematic lens and partnership with various art forms for telling the science and the richness of human stories behind the science, “Rare Connections” will make it relatable, challenge stereotypes, celebrate diversity, and inspire the next generation of scientists, while providing an opportunity for the scientists to view their own field from a different perspective.