Join Media Impact Funders for a webinar exploring new ways for funders to engage the public with science and evidence, and advance understanding of science and the scientific process.

Last fall, the Rita Allen Foundation organized a funder collaboration breakfast at the National Academy of Sciences Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium on the Science of Science Communication III. The rich content shared during the high-energy discussions suggested great potential for further collaboration and learning, particularly around popular culture, art and creative spaces, to connect science with people from different backgrounds, experiences and education levels.

To continue the conversation started at the Sackler Colloquium, MIF is developing a series of funder conversations to connect grantmakers with research, strategy and practice in science communications.

To that end, we'd like to invite you to a webinar moderated by Elizabeth Christopherson, CEO of the Rita Allen Foundation, where we will hear from Doron Weber, Vice President of Programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and Greg Boustead, Program Director of the Science Sandbox at the Simons Foundation. The speakers will discuss all the ways they are using popular culture media forms—books, films, new media, radio, television, and theater—to elevate the public's understanding of science.

For two decades, Weber has led Sloan's program for the Public Understanding of Science, Technology & Economics, which uses diverse media forms to connect science and humanities and educate the public. This program has supported such films as the recent documentary, Bombshell, which reveals Hedy Lamarr's prowess as an inventor, and the feature film Search, which takes place entirely via a laptop screen.

Boustead will share insights from Science Sandbox, an initiative of the Simons Foundation designed to inspire deeper interest in science, especially among non-scientists. Among recent projects supported by Science Sandbox, Boustead will discuss the new documentary, The Most Unknown, which will be receiving its world premiere at the prestigious Copenhagen Film Festival this month.

Elevating the Public's Understanding of Science Through Popular Culture