EuroPAWS event hears call for television drama to break down barriers between public and science
A leading European biologist has said that television drama can be used to boost public interest in science in order to encourage future generations of scientists in Europe. Speaking at the EuroPAWS awards for TV drama bearing on science and technology in Brussels on 7 November, Yvon le Maho, Director of the Centre d'écologie et physiologie énergétiques, Strasbourg, said that television has 'considerable power' to change the public's view of science. Mr le Maho, who is also a member of the committee of the French national centre of scientific research, explained that television can help to break down opposition to and misunderstanding of science, as it can 'present our emotions and our uncertainties' and help to show the relationship between science and our environment. He added, however, that the uncertainty involved in science can be difficult for the public to comprehend - science cannot always produce answers and definite results. He agreed that this can cause problems in television drama, which relies on a 'beginning, middle, end' formula, but said that television can nonetheless be used as a medium to give the public a better understanding of the questions and issues scientists are dealing with. Joost de Wolf, head of dramatic arts for VPRO, the Netherlands, who also spoke at the event, said that inefficient distribution was a barrier to widespread viewing of television material with scientific themes. Mr de Wolf said that although high quality television shows are produced with scientific content, they are often not widely distributed within Europe, which still relies heavily on drama bought in from the UK and the USA. He said that the promotion and distribution of TV drama, such as the winners of the EuroPAWS awards, was necessary to enhance awareness of science and technology. Austrian MEP and actress Mercedes Echerer said that support was needed at all levels to encourage the writing, production and distribution of original, including scientific, material. Firstsight Films Director Francesca Barra highlighted the problem of obtaining funding for films which are more 'intelligent' and do not feature well-known stars, blaming a 'general dumbing down' of television entertainment. It was also agreed at the event that more needs to be done to break away from the stereotyped presentations of the 'mad scientist' and 'introverted genius' and to focus on the excitement of scientific discovery itself. The EuroPAWS event was part of European science and technology week, which runs from 5 to 11 November.