Speakers Announced for Science, Entertainment, and Education Summit on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills

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The Science & Entertainment Exchange; National Academy of Sciences

Jan 28, 2011, 06:52 ET

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- To spark greater interest in learning science and technology among young people, the Science & Entertainment Exchange of the National Academy of Sciences is holding a summit that will bring together leading scientists, engineers, and educators with writers, directors, and producers from the movie and television industry to think of creative uses of entertainment as a science learning tool.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
Ralph Cicerone, president, National Academy of Sciences
Charles Vest, president, National Academy of Engineering
Karen Cator, director, Office of Educational Technology, U.S. Dept. of Education
Sean Carroll, vice president of education, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Tony DeRose, senior scientist, Pixar Animation Studios
Sir Ken Robinson, creativity expert and New York Times bestselling author
Janet English, Presidential-Award winning teacher
LizabethFogel, director of education, The Walt Disney Company
Will Wright, creator of entertaining and educational computer games
Michael Jones, chief technology advocate, Google
Briane Green, professor of mathematics and physics, Columbia University
Tyler Johnstone, teacher, Folsom, California, participated in Disney Planet Challenge
Jerry Zucker, movie director and producer (Airplane, Ghost among credits)
Miles O'Brien, science reporter, PBS NewsHour
Jon Amiel, film and television director (Creation, The Core among recent credits)
Neil deGrasse Tyson, scientist and host of NOVA ScienceNOW
Ted Johnson, deputy editor, Variety
Jeffrey Silver, film producer (most recent picture is Tron: Legacy)
Jon Spaihts, screenwriter (he wrote the alien invasion thriller The Darkest Hour)
Vicki Chandler, chief program officer, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Tom Shadyac, screenwriter and director (hits include Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Liar, Liar)

Dozens of teachers, students, and curriculum developers will join in these discussions to explore how movies, television programs, and video and computer games could be used in the classroom. The summit will include breakout sessions and a group exercise to encourage interaction and brainstorming among participants, and Judy Muller, an Emmy Award-winning network news correspondent, will emcee the event. In addition, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which is sponsoring the summit, will make $225,000 available to fund pilot projects that are spurred by ideas discussed at the summit.

DETAILS:

The summit will be held on Friday, Feb. 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. at the Paley Center for Media, 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, Calif.

REPORTERS:

The summit is by invitation only and not open to the public; reporters MUST register in advance to attend. Because seating is extremely limited, reporter seating will be in an overflow room where video of the event will be available. There will be space for reporters in breakout sessions and they are welcome to other side gatherings as well. Interviews with speakers and other participants can be arranged for reporters who cannot attend in person.

The Science & Entertainment Exchange is a program of the National Academy of Sciences that connects entertainment industry professionals with top scientists from across the country to create a synergy between realistic science and engaging entertainment. For more information, visit http://scienceandentertainmentexchange.org.

The NAS is a private, nonprofit institution that provides science policy advice under an 1863 congressional charter.

SOURCE The Science & Entertainment Exchange; National Academy of Sciences