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.
Star-Crossed Galaxies
Collisions between two spiral galaxies can be spectacular affairs, filled with romance.
6:10
Out of the Bottle: Tricks of the Trade
Popular wine jargon such as “breathing,” “corked,” and “wine tears” gets translated into chemistry you can understand.
Out Of The Bottle: Tricks Of The Trade
Gavin Sacks of Cornell University translates popular wine jargon such as ‘breathing,’ ‘corked,’ and ‘wine tears’ into chemistry you can understand.
6:35
Out of the Bottle: Wine Flavor
A researcher from Cornell details the chemical composition of wine’s diverse flavor profiles.
Out of the Bottle: Wine Flavor
A researcher from Cornell details the chemical composition of wine’s diverse flavor profiles.
Building a Synth, Bit by Bit
A new tool and toy from littleBits teaches you how synthesizers work while you make electronic music.
4:15
When Water Flows Uphill
Researchers test ridged surfaces in order to control the movements of hot water.
When Water Flows Uphill
In the Leidenfrost Effect, a water droplet will float on a layer its own vapor if heated to certain temperature—and these physicists discovered a new means of manipulating the hot droplets.
4:06
The Other Golden Rule
Why most mammals—even elephants—take only 20-30 seconds to urinate.
3:20
The Myth of the Woolly Bear
Can woolly bear caterpillars predict winter weather?