The National Academy of Sciences Goes to Hollywood*

In 2008 the National Academy of Sciences launched The Science & Entertainment Exchange. The goal was to create a connection between the science and engineering community and the entertainment industry in Hollwyood in order to use the vehicle of popular entertainment media to deliver sometimes subtle, but nevertheless powerful, messages about science to mainstream audiences. By creating a relationship with the content creators in film and television, The Exchange seeks to influence storytelling grounded in authentic science, encourage the depiction of richer, more diverse STEM characters in order to challenge traditional stereotypes, and inspire new media projects driven by science and engineering themes. Although this is not always a straight-forward process, the relationships that The Exchange have cultivated over the past 12 years have the potential to impact the next generation of scientists and engineers. By community building in Hollywood, we communicate directly with the public through the characters they know and trust to bring more science into the nation’s living rooms.