A Gram of Prevention Is Worth a Kilogram of Cure: Teaching Writers

Chapter 3

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A Gram of Prevention Is Worth a Kilogram of Cure: Teaching Writers Science Michael S. Brotherton* Deparment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071 *E-mail: [email protected]

The easiest way to correct a mistake is to prevent the mistake in the first place. I describe a preemptive program, the Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop for Writers, that educates participants in the basics of astronomy and related sciences. The goal is to empower them with the fundamentals, a network, and research capability in order to put more science in front of their audiences and to decrease the error rate in that science. Science within entertainment, which now comes in myriad forms including TV, movies, books, video games, and more, serves as stealth education when it is correct. Furthermore, many scientists self-report that they chose to pursue their careers because of the inspiration of movies and TV shows like Star Trek. The program is very well-received by participants and may serve as a model for other fields.

Introduction Writers don’t set out to make mistakes. Writers strive to create realistic worlds in which people behave like people, and the world behaves like the world, except when exceptions are made to include speculative elements like stargates, sparkly vampires, or the Force. Those speculative elements still have to follow the rules established for them, or some fraction of the audience will find the stories internally inconsistent and ultimately reject them. © 2013 American Chemical Society In Hollywood Chemistry; Nelson, D., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2013.


The thing is, the world is a complicated place, even the limited world of a novel or a movie. Few people are experts at writing, let alone the myriad details of science, history, foreign cultures, technology, law, medicine, and the human heart. Painting a rich and perfectly plausible world without making any errors is not always a realistic goal, but it is what good writers strive to achieve within the context of their stories and themes. Many are more than willing to invest significant quantities of their time, do their research, and produce stories as interesting and mistake-free as possible. A few years back I set out to help them achieve that goal within my own area of expertise: astronomy. In 2002, I achieved two milestones by selling my first science fiction novel to a major publisher in the field (Star Dragon, 2003, Tor Books) and getting hired as a tenure-track faculty member. Soon thereafter, I started noticing something. At science fiction conventions, people were a lot more interested in me as a scientist rather than just another science fiction writer. Among my colleagues in astronomy, I sometimes got more questions about science fiction than my research into quasars and black holes. Synergies existed that I could exploit in a unique niche, and I began to look for ways to combine my loves for science and science fiction in productive ways. One of my efforts involved securing a multi-year educational/public outreach grant from NASA to put on a workshop to teach writers astronomy, in order to increase the quality and quantity of correct science in their work, and to help inspire the next generation of scientists. I can trace my interest in space and astronomy back to when I was six-yearsold and my parents called me into the living room, turned on the TV, and said, “Michael, we think you’ll like this.” It was an episode of Star Trek, the original series, and I did like it. I liked it a lot. From then on science fiction was part of my life, and so was science. I am not unique among scientists, either. The entertainment we consume as kids can and does inspire many of us to pursue future careers. Writing my own novels and pursuing my own research, I might reach out and inspire some future scientists out there. Teaching other writers, many much more successful than myself and enjoying significantly larger audiences, is a way of reaching a lot more people. In addition to impressionable, bright kids, books, movies, and television also reach adult audiences who are out of school and unlikely to actively study science, but who still vote and should have informed opinions about the complex, technological civilization we live in today.

The Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop for Writers With that initial NASA funding, and with the collaboration of science education expert Jim Verley, Launch Pad was born. More recently it has continued with National Science Foundation funding under very similar parameters. It is impossible to teach any science topic in depth in a single week, but few professionals have the time to take off multiple weeks. Keeping this in mind, we do a crash version of an introductory Astro 101 course. There are approximately fifty 26 In Hollywood Chemistry; Nelson, D., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2013.


hours of lecture in a college semester, so a week isn’t a totally crazy time period, but giving or receiving fifty hours of lecture in a single week would probably make heads ache if not explode. We mix up traditional lecture with lab and computer exercises, discussions, nights out with our local telescopes, and issues of science education and communication. The goal is to provide writers a basic background and enough knowledge to seek out more information when necessary, and to know when it is necessary. Also, a number of authors seem more likely to have the confidence to tackle science-rich concepts after an experience like Launch Pad. More information may be found at the website for Launch Pad at http://www.launchpadworkshop.org. In order to provide guidelines for anyone considering the creation of a similar workshop, the particulars of our program are described in the subsections below.

Budget and Logistics The total budget for each annual workshop is only $15,000, and a stripped-down version for less money is possible. We take advantage of inexpensive University of Wyoming housing and free classroom facilities to keep costs down, as well as the assistance of the department office staff to help with logistics. The exact values vary from year to year, but our expenses bringing in about 15 people usually breaks down like this: • • • • • •

$6000 for Participants Requesting Travel Assistance $3000 for Guest Instructor Stipends and Travel $2500 for Dorm Rooms $1500 for Van Rentals $1000 for Food $1000 for Reference Textbooks (to take home)

We solicit applications over the Internet, and find that some portion of attendees do not request travel assistance, stretching the budget. We also cap the travel at about $500 per person. We have travel days to fly in participants and sandwich between them six days of activities. We usually have lectures in the morning and much of the afternoon, along with afternoon and evening activities. One morning is set aside for a hike, which is a welcome opportunity. Continental breakfast, snacks, and lunches are all provided in the classroom to save time. Participants are on their own for dinners. All in all, some 50-60 hours are scheduled for the six days of the workshop. While participants are often tired and mentally exhausted by the end of the week, the enthusiasm of the self-selected group typically remains high. We don’t waste their time.

27 In Hollywood Chemistry; Nelson, D., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2013.


Content So, what exactly happens during the workshop? We teach a set of tight core lectures starting with size scales and a Douglas Adams quote from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “Space is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” The vastness of space is one of the things that writers—let alone scientists—often fail to appreciate. Spaceships really shouldn’t be viewed as versions of naval ships with all the associated misconceptions that brings, such as travel times of mere weeks between ports, not without invoking magic tricks like hyperspace at least. We follow up with some other fundamental concepts about the seasons and phases of the Moon, core concepts that are relevant in areas well outside science fiction. We cover some basic physics concerning light and gravity that are relevant to multiple areas of astronomy. Essentially everything in the subject depends on the detection and interpretation of light reaching us from space, while gravity is the fundamental force most important in many astronomical situations. We cover the Solar System, as well as the exploding field of extra-solar planets. A large number of the lecture hours are devoted to stars: their properties, their births, their lives, and their deaths. Stellar nucleosynthesis creates the heavier elements on the period table and we are in fact made of “star stuff,” as Carl Sagan told us. We also get in some of the stranger and more fun aspects of astronomy here, such as supernovas and black holes. Large enough groups of stars constitute galaxies, and we cover the Milky Way, as well as galaxies more generally. Galaxy clustering leads to large-scale structure and cosmology. Usually the Big Bang is the final topic of the week, with a discussion of dark matter, dark energy, and the creation of the light elements hydrogen and helium. Beyond the above part that consists of crash-course lectures, stripped to the bone, we build in hands-on exercises, telescope viewing experiences, computer activities, and both formal and informal discussion opportunities. We throw at least one party in which writers and scientists get to mingle, and the writers get to see that scientists aren’t all bearded men wearing glasses and white lab coats, but can be tattooed and sport Mohawks. A visit to our 2.3-meter telescope at the Wyoming Infrared Observatory (WIRO) is a highlight. It’s an impressively sized fully operational professional facility that lets the writers see how astronomers actually work when observing. When not observing, they learn that astronomers sit in front of computers in their offices, like much of the world these days. Several hours are devoted to issues of science education and communication. For instance, education researchers have learned that many people carry around misconceptions that make it difficult to approach certain ideas, and those 28 In Hollywood Chemistry; Nelson, D., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2013.


misconceptions must be knocked down before the correct explanation can take hold. In astronomy, and all areas of science, misconceptions abound. A lot of people think they know what an asteroid field looks like because of scenes in The Empire Strikes Back, but the reality is that if you stood on one space rock in our own asteroid field, you’d be very unlikely to see another. Many viewers of the old movie Outland probably believe that humans exposed to vacuum explode, and may have incorrectly learned from Mission to Mars that liquids leaking into space won’t (instead freezing into solid ice). The list goes on and on. Many lessons of science communication are incorporated into the regular lectures, too. We have discussions about units to use (Americans are more familiar with English units, but metric units should be used when the scientists are discussing issues amongst themselves), and how they’re redefined to be convenient numbers (as light-years and astronomical units avoid large and confusing powers of ten). We discuss how concepts in space are abstract and remote, but that there are ways to relate them to every day experience (e.g., density waves in spiral arms aren’t too dissimilar from some aspects of highway traffic). Finally, we do evangelize somewhat, urging writers to assume some personal responsibility for making careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields seem interesting and plausible. Unattractive stereotypes reflect lazy writing and do not reflect the real diversity present among scientists. Participants Because of my background as a science fiction novelist, and my original vision of the workshop as science education for science fiction writers, most of the participants have been science fiction writers. I know how to advertise to them, and the field is relatively small and well connected. Most participants have applied due to the good word-of-mouth advertising. We currently get about 60-70 applications for about 15 slots each year, and have nearly 100 alumni of the program. Despite the original bias toward science fiction writers, strong applicants with different backgrounds have made me rethink the workshop. Now I see the benefits of broader applicants, with the main discriminate being their ability to put astronomy and related science in front of large and diverse audiences. A best-selling author of werewolf novels has the opportunity to teach phases of the Moon to many people who would never pick up science fiction. Our participants reaching the largest audiences have been involved with major motion pictures and TV series from the big networks. Stephen Gould’s novel Jumper was a big budget movie release in 2008, while Rob Sawyer’s novel Flashforward was a TV series on ABC during the 2009-2010 season. These two and other participants may have similar deals in the future. Participant Josepha Sherman wrote a number of Star Trek novelizations, while Jeffrey Carver wrote the novelization of the new Battlestar Galactica mini-series. The written form often allows for more explanation of science issues than the original versions, and benefits in a readership derived from TV audiences. 29 In Hollywood Chemistry; Nelson, D., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2013.


Participant Dani Wolff writes for television programs, including cartoons featuring Spider-man and The Avengers. Writer/director Robin Christian Peters has made movies such as Disconnect (2010) and the forthcoming My Dog the Space Traveler (2013). Best-selling novels also reach large audiences, and participants Scott Sigler, Carrie Vaughn, Julie V. Jones, among others, have landed on bestseller lists in the past and likely the future. In the ensemble, participants have written hundreds of novels and short stories with a total audience measured in the millions, encompassing everything from science fiction to fantasy to young adult and children’s books. We have also had interest from editors of novels and magazines and a handful have attended. While they’re less likely to have a direct hand in the initial creation process, they exercise quality control over the stories they select, and their background at Launch Pad may positively influence them to select more science-rich stories. Traditional venues like movies/TV and books/magazines are not the only media reaching large audiences. We’ve had several authors who work in the video game industry, notably Marc Laidlaw, whose Half-Life games sell in the millions. Another innovative writer is Brain Malow (working with his partner Tara Fredette) who is a science comedian who has appeared on national television (Craig Kilbourn) and created a series of educational videos for Time.com. Our guest instructors come and provide several hours of presentations, complementing the regular astronomy lectures. They also participate in the workshop and while they’re less likely to learn a lot of new things, they do seem receptive to the educational message of Launch Pad. Past instructor and planetary scientist Kevin R. Grazier is a science consultant who has worked on Battlestar Galactica and Eureka for the SyFy channel, among other projects. Award-winning novelist Joe Haldeman has written for movies and his classic novel The Forever War is currently under option by Ridley Scott. Award-winning writer and NASA scientist Geoffrey Landis speaks at science fiction conventions. Jerry Oltion and Christian Ready reach out to amateur astronomy groups. Analog magazine editor Stanley Schmidt has influenced a generation of science fiction writers. Bad Astronomy blogger Phil Plait reaches large audiences through his blog, non-fiction books, and TV show Bad Universe. Outcomes We have several measures of effectiveness of the program, although we expect that the intangible effects will be great and amplified over time, although difficult to quantitatively measure. We give participants pre and post tests in astronomy every year, as well as evaluation forms for more general feedback. The evaluations indicated an overall high satisfaction with the workshop, individual presenters, and the overall organization (>85% satisfaction). They also indicated through the survey instrument that they greatly increased their astronomy content knowledge and their ability to recognize misconceptions (this number was 80%). There was a high positive response (>85%) to their newly developed awareness of and interest in the educational implications of their work. The response was 100% positive 30 In Hollywood Chemistry; Nelson, D., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2013.


when asked if the workshop was worthwhile, met their expectations, and whether they would recommend it to others. That measure is remarkable, and speaks to the strengths of the concept, execution, and funding that permitted us to maintain a small, tightly focused program addressing participant interests very directly. We annually send questionnaires to past participants and maintain an alumni email list to communicate with them. We don’t get 100% compliance, but usually about 2/3 chime in with information. We’ve had approximately 45 short stories and about 15 novels published that have been directly inspired by Launch Pad or benefited from the knowledge generated by the workshop (also a screenplay, not yet sold). Additionally, editor participant John Joseph Adams (of Lightspeed Magazine) has published several hard science fiction stories that got their astronomy checked and corrected, including one by participant Vylar Kaftan that ended up on the Nebula award ballot. Similarly, writer/editor Jody Lynn Nye successfully pitched an anthology series that will feature science-rich stories by Launch Pad alumni. The first book is expected to be published in 2013. More than 50% of those attending the workshop continued to report having a new sense of confidence in their ability to write about science in general and astronomy in particular. One former Launch Pad participant discovered a scientific error on a PBS NOVA webpage and felt compelled to write and seek a correction because NASA just paid to have them become a more effective communicator of science. There were several astronomy children’s books (by Josepha Sherman) that were written and published post-workshop that were more scientifically accurate, and which were more carefully scrutinized because of the author’s participation in Launch Pad. Another former participant says that work at Launch Pad has been an essential part of the critique process used when looking at other authors SF writing. On the educational side, one Launch Pad participant (novelist Samantha Henderson) developed a unit on astronomy for a fourth-grade science class because of newfound confidence at the workshop. A university professor who teaches literature reports having repeatedly utilized information at the Launch Pad workshop to enhance the classroom experience and dispel misconceptions about science. Another university faculty member (Christine Stebbins) reports redesigning portions of a Science Fiction writing class because of the Launch Pad experience. Another incorporated concepts from the Launch Pad that were critical in developing an art class project with a science theme at the high school level. There was also a report by one Launch Pad participant that they have become a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America’s SIGMA SF group, an informal association of SF writers who make themselves available to policy makers who are interested in outside-the-box thinking. Groups who have solicited their input include the Defense Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and an advanced research group in the intelligence field. Here are some participant comments about the impact of attending the Launch Pad workshop: “My experience at Launch Pad affects practically everything I write, in part because it affects what I choose to write about. With greater confidence in my astronomical knowledge, I choose to write about astronomical themes more often.” 31 In Hollywood Chemistry; Nelson, D., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2013.

“I am on sabbatical in the fall for the express purpose of working on a novel, one that I expect to be significantly informed by my Launch Pad experience.” “Launch Pad was a big help to me with my book due out next year. The knowledge I gained there also helped me with scientific accuracy for the next several books in the series and I plan to rely heavily on the information (and experts!) I met at UW when it’s time to start writing them.”


“Launch Pad was an amazing experience.” “...in my novel writing, is a heightened appreciation for the value of scientific accuracy in my stories, or at least intelligent plausibility in situations where I am extrapolating beyond the bounds of what we know today.” “...the experience was both incredibly enjoyable and educational. The lessons I learned there have infiltrated every level of my fiction in production; I step carefully with science in the wake of that week, researching every natural point I can to be sure I get it right.” “I simply cannot laud the workshop enough, and I can only hope that more and more writers and educators will have the chance to partake in what is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” “...the best straight science-science fiction idea I’ve ever had came directly out of that workshop.” “Launch Pad has influenced my writing and teaching of writing almost every day since we were in Laramie. I cant thank you and NASA enough.” Frankly we have been overwhelmed by the universal praise and powerful recommendations participants have been giving us and the program exceeded our expectations. There are occasional critical comments but we have never had anyone report a negative experience overall. This effort has been hugely rewarding.

A One-Day Version as an Alternative Model It can even be challenging for would-be participants to take off a week for an intensive workshop. At the invitation of Dragoncon held annually in Atlanta, Georgia, a convention that attracts about 50,000 attendees, we have recently initiated a one-day version of the workshop there. Any topic can be taught in any length of time, with varying degrees of success. A one-day event is challenging, but was well received in its inaugural year of 2012. In this case all we can hope for to provide background, networking, and inspiration. Time will tell how effect we are compared to the version we hold in Wyoming.



Preventing Armageddon: A Call for Every Field The movie Armageddon, about preventing an asteroid impact, directed by Michael Bay and starring Bruce Wills, has grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. The film averages about one error per minute, many of them scientific in nature. That’s a lot of errors, many of which viewers will not realize are errors. We do learn from what we watch, even if we deny it, or advertisers would not spend the billions of dollars that they do. We should strive to prevent another Armageddon, but the truth is that there is a similarly error-ridden movie, or many, for every subject under the sun. Law, history, geology, medicine, etc., all suffer numerous and unnecessary errors in many productions. I have received communications from scientists in other fields (e.g. biology and neuroscience) who learned about Launch Pad and asked about how it was funded and for copies of my proposals. The National Science Foundation, for instance, likes to have educational components to grant proposals and see broader impacts from their funding. Launch Pad is a positive element by those criteria and helps a proposer stand out from others who describe common activites like teaching students and giving an occasional public talk. Versions of Launch Pad geared to other fields like chemistry may be an easy sell to some review panels and a significant plus to a grant proposal. While movie productions and TV shows can hire science consultants to correct mistakes in scripts, often a better product may be produced if the writers themselves know enough to avoid mistakes in the first place. There is interest from writers in getting things right, and science is a particularly challenging subject for many, especially if they arre beyond traditional education. Build the program, and they will come. Writers are well educated about literary sources and can quote Ben Franklin about how an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but many don’t necessarily know that scientists use the metric system or other field-specific units. Scientists can help by telling them that, and a lot more.


A Gram of Prevention Is Worth a Kilogram of Cure: Teaching Writers

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