How to Get 6,000 People to Talk Science

It’s an amazing feat, accomplished by Lawrence Krauss: getting 3,000 people to show up on Friday and Saturday nights to hear scientists talk about the joy, reward, and challenges of what they do. What? They didn’t have anything better to do? Certainly not.

I was there, at Arizona State University in Phoenix, participating in a panel discussion about how to tell stories about science. On stage with Lawrence and me were: Tracy Day, Brian Greene, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, Richard Dawkins, and Neal Stephenson.

Part of the ASU Origins Project, the discussion was quite lively, and you should be able to see it online (link pending). Watch for the “smackdown” between Tyson and Greene, with Bill Nye joining the fun.

Movie star Cameron Diaz, who uses her stardom to advance informal science education, was also on hand for the Project to talk about her appearance in the upcoming film The Unbelievers. After she introduced herself to me and professed her love of Science Friday, I could do nothing less than to have our picture taken together. It’s a tough job…somebody’s got to do it.