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.
5:50
‘Hot’ for Turkey
Female wild turkeys parse the courtship performances of males to determine their genetic potential.
‘Hot’ For Turkey
Female wild turkeys parse the courtship performances of males to determine their genetic potential.
I’m Not a Dinosaur, I Just Play One on Stage
A behind-the-scenes look at how the cast and crew of “Walking with Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular” brings life-size dinosaurs to life in an theatrical setting.
8:01
Creature Double Feature
Witness two tales that will make your skin crawl and your mind reel with fear and curiosity.
Creature Double Feature: Zombies and Bloodsuckers
Witness two tales that will make your skin crawl and your mind reel with fear and curiosity.
No Strain, No Gain: Filter Feeding Mantas
Marine biologist and biomechanist, Misty Paig-Tran details her research into these graceful giants and reveals the multiple methods of filtration they use to sift a meal from the water.
6:04
How to Make Quark Soup
Brookhaven National Laboratory cooks up tiny ephemeral batches of quark-gluon soup that are said to be the most “perfect” fluid ever discovered.
How to Make Quark Soup
Using massive feats of engineering, Brookhaven National Laboratory has devised a recipe for cooking up tiny ephemeral batches of this quark-gluon soup, a fluid which physicists Paul Sorensen say is the most “perfect” fluid ever discovered.
8:57
Shake Your Silk-Maker: The Dance of the Peacock Spider
With their ornately colored bodies, rhythmic pulsations, and booty-shaking dance moves, male peacock spiders attract mates and researchers alike.
Shake Your Silk-Maker: The Dance of the Peacock Spider
With their ornately-colored fur, rhythmic pulsations, and booty-shaking dance moves, male peacock spiders attract the attention of spectating females as well as researchers.