As Science Friday’s video producer, Luke is tasked with writing, filming, directing, editing, animating, narrating, and promoting many of the short films you’ll find on this here website. Every other week, he becomes obsessed with the research he films until his video is complete or his colleagues show him a shiny new study to play with. Luke also wrangles a stable of equally enthusiastic freelance filmmakers, helping them to produce and promote their own stories.
Prior to being domesticated by Science Friday, Luke worked at the Wildlife Conservation Society, where he profiled a wide cast of characters, both two- and four-legged. The experience provided hands-on training in storytelling, as well as some invaluable lessons in wildlife filmmaking, such as “Lemurs enjoy scent marking. Everything.” And, “Never let a baby walrus sit on you.”
Despite his snobby film school education at SUNY Purchase and his devotion to Werner Herzog, his favorite film remains The Bear. He doesn’t care that it is a “kiddie film” that anthropomorphizes animals—he cries every time and isn’t ashamed of it.
05:31
Diary of a Snake Bite Death
This week’s Macroscope video follows the detailed diary of herpetologist Karl P. Schmidt as he was dying from the venom of a snake bite.
11:07
The Hunt for Dark Matter
In this week’s Video Pick, scientists hunt for dark matter deep below the Earth’s surface.
4850 Feet Below: The Hunt for Dark Matter
Deep in an abandoned gold mine in rural South Dakota, a team of physicists hunt for rare and elusive quarry: dark matter.
Pedaling Through Pollution
Using biometric sensors, a wearable pollution monitor, and GPS, the a new study will detail cyclists’ exposure to toxins as they bike through city streets.
4:39
Macroscope Video: A Cure for the Colorblindness Blues
Using gene therapy, visionary researchers Maureen and Jay Neitz may have finally created a cure for the colorblindness blues.
A Cure For The Colorblindness Blues
Using a virus-based gene therapy and a group of highly trained monkeys, Maureen and Jay Neitz may have created a cure for colorblindness.
6:17
Video Pick: The Unlikely Tale of a Tenacious Snail
For over 70 years, no one had seen the oblong rocksnail, until one spring day in 2011.
The Unlikely Tale of a Tenacious Snail
For over 70 years, no one had seen the oblong rocksnail, until one spring day in 2011.
Take the Science Friday Lollipop Challenge!
Test out how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop, and report back.
9:33
Cephalopod Week Is Back
We kick off our second annual Science Friday Cephalopod Week—a celebration of all things tentacled.