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Katy Alexander Joins Session at EuroScience Open Forum
Changing Perceptions of Women in Science – The key role of TV and New Media
There are few more powerful ways of changing perceptions than via a good film. The most accessible presentations are through television programmes or series, and via WEB or other video productions. But equally, popular TV series can reinforce out of dare stereotypes, so the decisions of broadcasters and producers are of key importance. In the area of science, there is a parallel responsibility on scientists to be in this loop and present ideas, role models and scenarios that are the bedrock of most science-based productions.
The European Science TV and New Media Festival awards ten prizes each year both to celebrate successful productions and to help spread good practice. The Awards are for the different genres of TV and New Media, for different Science in Society themes like the Environment and Women in Science, and for specific subject strands. A further aim of the annual Festival is to encourage new audiences to watch good science based productions, and part of that process involves creating a new type of event with screenings and discussion of the best films from the festival in different European Cities. In June there was a well attended event in Geneva on World Environment Day featuring the Festival’s winning film of the Environment Prize. At ESOF 2018 the Festival is pleased to present 3 very diverse films on the Women in Science Theme, with a panel of experts to raise and answer pertinent questions.
Digital Science’s Katy Alexander will be joining a group or remarkable panelists including the producer of the winning Women in Science programme from the series Ocean Heroines, and the scientist behind an innovative series of short TV films bringing together young girls and accomplished women scientists and engineers. The issues surrounding casting women in scientific roles in TV will also feature illustrated by a successful new series for German television. The background to a change of culture in this genre in Germany will help shape a discussion of how attitudes can be shifted by the right initiatives.