nai

Project Progress

What’s In The News, a children’s current events program produced by Penn State Public Broadcasting, has met and surpassed its goals this year. The centerpiece of the multi-media production was a 15-minute video on the emerging field of Astrobiology. The program was carried via satellite to PBS and cable stations in 30 states serving 5.7 million students in grades 4-7. The initial satellite feed was on March 3, with a second feed on March 6, 2000.

The program invited students to call a toll-free number to request an “Alien Hunting Kit.” The kit contained a simple experiment on testing for life where none is immediately apparent; a mathematical exercise to predict the number of habitable planets, and two creative drawing activities. About 275 teachers (each representing approximately 20 students) requested the kits. Others downloaded the materials from the web page that was developed to supplement the program. For the creative drawing activities, five students were selected to receive copies of Is Anybody Out There? By Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest. The publisher, DK Publishing, Inc., in New York, donated the copies of this beautifully illustrated book on Astrobiology.

The web page that accompanied the program included an outline for teachers, suggested discussion questions and vocabulary, and a variety of additional activities, resources, and information.

The regular What’s In The News newspaper column which accompanies each weekly program featured PSARC’s Hiroshi Ohmoto. The column is distributed to about 25 newspapers.

On May 6, 2000, Penn State Public Broadcasting held an open house for children which featured the Astrobiology program and the Alien Hunting activities.

Due to the tremendous success of this project and the enthusiastic feedback from teachers, the entire production will be revised, updated, and repeated during the 2000-01 season of What’s In The News.