From Popular Science, an article by Sarah Webb on a humorous educational nanotech video called When Things Get Small, “an irreverant, madcap, comically corny romp into the world of things ‘nano’ “:
“The 30-minute flick—a collaboration between physicist Ivan Schuller of the University of California at San Diego and producer Rich Wargo—is a corny romp through Schuller’s research into building the world’s smallest magnet. Before becoming a scientist, Schuller studied theater in college, an avocation that sparked his passion for changing the way scientists communicate with the public. His shtick is science as entertainment, and When Things Get Small is his first film effort. It may not be high art, but it smoothly introduces physics concepts while poking fun at stuffy science stereotypes—kind of like Beakman’s World for nanotech…
“He could have just published his findings on nanotech in a prestigious journal and called it a day (which he’s been doing over a 30-year career in science). Instead he spent three years and $400,000 dollars, underwritten by the National Science Foundation, UCSD and others, to make a funny movie about his project.”
Maybe this is a good use of tax money, and maybe not. Comments? —Christine
