Sound and the Scientific Method

“It is the tension between creativity and skepticism that has produced the stunning and unexpected findings of science.” -Carl Sagan

By now, you may have heard the news that PRX, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, is holding an open call for radio stories about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) topics. We’re seeking highly creative, original productions that question, reveal, explore, and inspire.

Earlier this month during a tweetchat, we asked producers what public radio could offer to STEM. We were thrilled with the enthusiastic responses:

The inherent beauty of the scientific method lays in the fact that it’s sparked by curiosity, fueled by skepticism, and results in an approximation of the truth. If you think about it, both science and art strive to achieve just that – an understanding of a higher truth about the world. As a journalist, writer, or producer, what ardent questions do you have about the world around you? What ensnares your senses, drives you mad, or makes you wonder? And how do you capture that with sound?

This is PRX’s challenge to you–to be curious, skeptical, hungry for the truth–and we believe that you can rise to the occasion.

Radio producer Paolo Pietropaolo offers some creative inspiration on exactly this nexus between science and radio:

We hope that you consider participating in the STEM Story Project, PRX’s latest audio experiment. The deadline to submit a proposal (April 22, 2013 at 11:59pm ET) is approaching at light speed! We hope to see yours soon.

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Find the application and more details here.

Still have questions? PRX held a STEM Story Project webinar recently to talk about the project.

If you’re a producer looking to make connections with other producers or join the conversation about the STEM Story Project, join the STEM Story Project Facebook group to keep in touch.