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Don't Be Such a Scientist

Talking Substance in an Age of Style

Randy Olson

$Don\'t Be Such a Scientist$

Published: 08/28/2009
Publisher: Island Press
216 p. 6 x 9
Tables.
Appendix. Index.
ISBN: 9781597265638
Paperback: $19.96

Biographies | Table Of Contents

“You think too much! You mother F@$#%&* think too much! You’re nothing but an arrogant, pointy headed intellectual—I want you out of my classroom.”
—Hollywood acting teacher to Randy Olson, former scientist

After nearly a decade on the defensive, the world of science is about to be restored to its rightful place. But is the American public really ready for science? And is the world of science ready for the American public?

Scientists wear ragged clothes, forget to comb their hair, and speak in a language that even they don’t understand. Or so people think. Most scientists don’t care how they are perceived, but in our media-dominated age, style points count.

Enter Randy Olson. Fifteen years ago, Olson, a Harvard Ph.D. and former tenured professor of marine biology at the University of New Hampshire, bid farewell to the science world and shipped off to Hollywood. With films like Flock of Dodos (Tribeca ‘06, Showtime) and Sizzle (Outfest ‘08), he has tried to bridge the cultural divide that has too often left science on the outside looking in.

Olson’s new book Don’t Be Such a Scientist delivers the message that "scientists need artists." He delves into the principle of "arouse and fulfill," suggesting that while scientists are great with the fulfillment part, the power of art can help arouse the interest of the broader audience. In an age of information overload, the communication challenge is even greater for science. Drawing on communication theory, storytelling dynamics, and his own observations from a career in science, Olson makes the case that while accuracy is forever important, a priority must be made by the science community to grab the public's attention.

Biographies

Randy Olson earned his Ph.D. at Harvard University and became a professor of marine biology before moving to Hollywood for his second career as a filmmaker. Since obtaining an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California School of Cinema, he has written and directed the critically acclaimed films Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus (Tribeca, ‘06, Showtime) and Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy (Outfest, ’08), and co-founded The Shifting Baselines Ocean Media Project, a partnership between scientists and Hollywood to communicate the crisis facing our oceans.

Introduction

Chapter One: Don’t Be So Cerebral

Chapter Two: Don’t Be So Literal Minded

Chapter Three: Don’t Be Such a Poor Storyteller

Chapter Four: Don’t Be So Unlikeable

Chapter Five: Be the Voice of Science!

Appendix 1: The Sizzle Frazzle

Appendix 2: Filmmaking for Scientists

Appendix 3: Randy Olson Selected Filmography Notes

Acknowledgments

Index

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