Matthew Nisbet
Professor of Communication at Northeastern University.
nisbetmc
Posts by this author
May 15, 2009
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Blockbuster movies, The Daily Show: As I discuss in forthcoming articles, these are the new tools for "going broad" and motivating interest among…
May 15, 2009
Not only will Angels & Demons likely jump start conversations about physics, as some scientists hope, but the summer blockbuster will also be a launching pad for audiences to drive home discussing the relationship between science and religion.
I'm heading up to Georgetown tonight to check out…
May 14, 2009
Jacob with his black-clad counterpart.
Much was revealed in last night's fifth season finale for Lost, the penultimate for the series. Here's my take:
Apparently Jacob is a Judeo-Christian God-like figure, the "others" and Richard are his angels, and the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, like many…
May 13, 2009
There are a lot of Twitter dismissives among science bloggers, but the mobile technology has promise, journalists and others just have to understand how to structure its use successfully.
One such constructive application was pioneered here at American University by journalism professor David…
May 13, 2009
Last week I bought my tickets for the Wilco concert in July at Wolf Trap. The "alt country rock" band from Chicago has sired two of the best albums of the last decade, starting with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and followed by A Ghost is Born. (Best heard on vinyl.)
I saw them in concert last year at the…
May 13, 2009
On the road giving talks this spring and in several forthcoming articles, I recommend that one way to widen the net in terms of public engagement is to hook science around entertainment media. A leading initiative I spotlight is the National Academies' Science & Entertainment Exchange which…
May 13, 2009
In following up in my my earlier post today regarding the season finale for Lost, google traffic to my blog points back to this site which proposes a provocative theory that appears to make a lot sense. Check it out for yourself.
May 13, 2009
Yesterday I focused on the need for "cross-talk" on matters of science policy, highlighting for example the importance of a middle ground perspective on science and religion. It had escaped my eye, but at the Washington Post on Sunday, columnist Kathleen Parker apparently is thinking along similar…
May 13, 2009
It's the season finale for Lost tonight and the narrative threads are actually seeming to fit together. My only lingering question is where exactly Jack's father fits in the mysterious mosaic of the island. What do readers think?
Is Jack's father Jacob, as someone suggested to me the other day?…
May 13, 2009
The Washington Post profiles Barton Seaver today, the chef who put 14th street's Saint X on the map foodwise and then helped launch the ultra-successful Hook in Georgetown. Seaver is now opening a fish market and restaurant around the corner from this blogger in Logan Circle, strategically…
May 12, 2009
Several colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have a new study out that shows not surprisingly that like-minded conversations drive attitude extremity relative to science policy.
Analyzing data from a national panel survey conducted between 2002 and 2005, graduate student Andrew…
May 12, 2009
At the Washington Post today, Dana Milbank reviews Rush Limbaugh's Monday program. The peg is Wanda Sykes' comments at this weekend's White House Correspondents Dinner.
Perhaps of greater interest, later in the column, Milbank reports on this line delivered by Rush during his Monday program:…
May 11, 2009
The Washington Post's media reporter has joined the ranks of those who fear the imminent demise of journalism. I don't share this outlook. In fact, I see journalism--and science journalism in particular--on the edge of transformation and renewal, but more on this over the coming weeks.
In the…
May 11, 2009
Over at Columbia Journalism Review, Curtis Brainard has an excellent round-up and analysis of what might be afoot at Scientific American as it merges editorial direction with Nature Publishing Group and as longtime editor John Rennie steps down.
May 11, 2009
If you read the NY Times or WPost in print, you've probably noticed over the past 6 months the regular full page ads that have been placed by Monsanto. Similar to the nuclear energy industry, Monsanto is seeking to re-frame and re-position food biotechnology as a "middle way" technology needed to…
May 11, 2009
Last week, John Holdren appeared for a 45 minute interview on NPR Science Friday with host Ira Flatow. Below the fold, I have pasted excerpts of his comments relative to climate change policy options as well as investment in nuclear energy. In the interview, Holdren also had the chance to elaborate…
May 10, 2009
Everyone from Maureen Dowd to Allessandra Stanley have speculated as to why Elizabeth Edwards would endure the pain to go public with how she has dealt with her husband John's infidelity.
But there is one key motivation yet to be discussed: Elizabeth's book and publicity tour may in fact be a…
May 10, 2009
If you are like me, you are looking forward to the May 27 Champions League showdown between Man United and Barcelona. No doubt, many here in DC will be taking a break from work to head to a nearby pub or to watch from the office. Even Obama seems to be a soccer fan. In an appearance on Univision…
May 9, 2009
With many ScienceBlogs readers probably taking in the new Star Trek film this weekend, I've opened this post as a thread for discussion.
What do you think, a pitch perfect re-invention of the classic series or too popularized to appeal to devoted fans of the original?
May 9, 2009
Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'
The only thing missing from the pitch perfect new Star Trek film is a strong soundtrack. The actors have been brilliantly cast and Zachary Quinto as Spock steals the show. The theaters in Georgetown last night were packed, and not by your typical…
May 7, 2009
Pew has a detailed run down on the surge in motivation for information about swine flu. The brief analysis goes on to discuss strategies CDC had put in place to be ready to "pull" audiences in when an infectious disease outbreak occurred:
The prominent position of the CDC on these lists may be…
May 7, 2009
The Global Language Institute has started a new index that ranks universities by number of media mentions. Below is their top ten universities.
I have a few reservations and cautions about the significance of these rankings. At one level, having comparative benchmarks that provide at least some…
May 6, 2009
That's the revealing thesis of a new book reviewed at New York magazine, examining the disconnect between the reality of the Columbine shootings and the many false media reports and explanations for the tragedy.
May 5, 2009
The International Journal of Sustainability Communication is an important new open-access outlet for research and practitioner essays on environmental communication. In the latest issue, communication strategist Tom Bowman suggests that the workplace has been overlooked as a central place to…
May 5, 2009
Earlier this month, I was honored to give a lecture co-sponsored by the NIH and National Academies at their historic downtown DC headquarters. The focus of the talk was on "Communicating about Evolution," part of a spring lecture series on evolution and medicine.
The video and the slides for the…
May 5, 2009
I'm back to the blog after a few weeks off. It's been busy to say the least, with most of my time spent submitting an NIH proposal as part of the stimulus grants program. (More to come on the focus and topic.)
In any case, look for a regular 10 or so posts a week here at Framing Science. My plan…
April 27, 2009
Next week I am excited to be participating in a unique conference organized by the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies. The Institute is bringing together top scientists, journalists, policy experts, and communication researchers to focus on "Effective Communication of Science in Environmental…
April 16, 2009
Just how important is it to engage religious audiences on climate change? As a newly released Pew analysis indicates (above) there is not much variation in climate perceptions across religious affiliation. Most notably, among Evangelicals, a plurality or 34% believe that global warming is…
April 16, 2009
Roughly 100 audience members turned out to Monday's talk at the National Academies on "Communicating about Evolution" co-sponsored by the NIH and part of their spring lecture series on Evolution and Medicine. Online video of the talk and slides will be available soon but below I have pasted the…
April 13, 2009
For DC readers, as part of a spring lecture series on evolution and medicine sponsored by NIH and the National Academies, I will be speaking tonight at 7pm at the National Academy of Sciences Auditorium at 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW (adjacent to the State Department and National Mall.) Go here…