PBS NOVA Online’s “Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers” offers a sometimes surprising look at the avocations and enthusiasms of researchers who pursue the mysteries of science. William Saletan, who covers science for Slate, called the winning entry “a delightfully engaging, visually creative series that illuminates the intrigue and texture of science through the personalities of its people.”
The winning online video series introduced scientists and engineers in both their professional and personal lives. The subjects included a neurobiologist who meditates, a researcher on synesthesia who also has the condition, in which two or more body senses are merged, and a psycholinguist who likes to drive fast cars. Tina Hesman Saey of Science News said the series “humanizes scientists, and that’s a good thing for the future of science.” The team members for the winning entry said that their goal was “to open up the world of science to a broader audience by creating intimate, humanizing portraits of scientists today. We are grateful and proud to be recognized with this award.”
