Community Education Guide | Science Educators Guide | Spring 2007 Campaign Update

Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold, a public broadcasting special and outreach campaign that will premier January 8 & 15, 2008, will demonstrate how civilization has been profoundly affected by the mastery of cold. SPS has become a national Partner of the project, and will be involved in outreach, strategic guidance, support and in-kind institutional resources.

Background

This two-part public television special is a unique blend of science, cultural history and adventure story. The programs will explore key concepts, significant individuals and events in the field of low-temperature physics and the enormous impact that the mastery of cold has had on society through such technologies as air conditioning, refrigeration and liquefied gases.

Absolute Zero will feature the struggles of philosophers, scientists and engineers over four centuries as they attempted to understand the nature of cold, to explore its deepest reaches, to create the ‘cold technologies’ that have transformed society and to seek a deeper understanding of matter itself. Underwritten by the National Science Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the documentaries will be produced by British Emmy Award winner David Dugan in collaboration with Meredith Burch of Meridian Productions, Inc. in Washington, D.C. The films will be based largely on Tom Shachtman’s acclaimed book by the same name.

Communications Campaign

To support Absolute Zero, a national public outreach campaign has been designed to underscore how life in the 21st century is powerfully shaped by the mastery of cold. The objective of the campaign is to engage the American audience in a story that touches their lives in innumerable ways while generating the greatest possible viewership for the programs.

The National Partnership Program - Roles and Responsibilities

A key element of the national campaign is the National Partnership Program that will draw upon the leadership of national scientific, educational, governmental, and professional organizations that have a specific interest and expertise in the subject matter. The Society of Physics Students is pleased to be one of the National Partners for the program.

National Partners will serve as an essential building block for the outreach campaign. They will provide strategic guidance, support and in-kind institutional resources. Each National Partner will be invited to nominate an individual to participate in a National Awareness Advisory Committee that will provide advice during the life of the outreach campaign. The Committee will:

• Provide advice on the direction and content of the educational outreach materials.
• Participate as spokespersons in select media activities and/or at appropriate speaking opportunities.
• Leverage the support of their institutional outreach capabilities and resources.
• Promote Absolute Zero and the outreach campaign through organizational resources such as newsletters, magazines, internal publications and Web sites.
• Encourage their members to participate in outreach activities with their local PBS stations and representatives of other National Partners. This may include community events with museums and libraries, after-school activities, local speaking engagements, screenings and press efforts.
• Identify related low-temperature information for possible inclusion in the campaign educational materials as well as on the campaign Web site.
• Recommend individuals who may serve as Absolute Zero Experts

National Partnership Tools

Devillier Communications, Inc., will keep National Partners apprised of the campaign. Partners will be encouraged to log on to the campaign Web site, www.absolutezerocampaign.org, which will provide a wealth of information about the science of low-temperature physics as well as the latest information about the series and the outreach effort.

National Partners will receive copies of the comprehensive Absolute Zero Community Education Guide that will serve as the cornerstone for the campaign. It will include numerous ideas on how to engage young people in supplemental school activities, promotional ideas and templates for developing outreach activities around the broadcast, and guidance on how to work with PBS stations.

Another document, the Absolute Zero Science Professional Outreach Guide, will contain specific recommendations and strategies for successfully engaging students and the public in schools, museums, libraries and other public settings. This will be produced to assist the Absolute Zero Experts.

National Partnership Opportunities

National Partners will:

• Be identified on the campaign Web site and in all of the promotional materials that will be produced during the campaign including the Community Education Guide, the Science Professional Outreach Guide, Absolute Zero brochures and press materials.
• Nominate individuals who will serve as Absolute Zero Experts. The Experts will participate in educational and community events and make presentations about Absolute Zero before students and professional organizations. They may also serve as official media spokespersons. In addition to the PBS specials, their knowledge and expertise is meant to inspire the next generation of scientists.
• Be invited to have their educational materials featured in the campaign. If so, this will be properly identified.

For any questions, please contact SPS Director Gary White via email at gwhite@aip.org.