Nobelist Hoffmann To Host Chemistry Series For PBS

Although it’s certainly lively enough, it’s not “The Cosby Show.” And while it’s about science, it’s not as grandiose as “Cosmos,” the $30 million astronomy extravaganza hosted by Carl Sagan a few years ago. But for Nobel laureate Roald Hoffmann, “The World of Chemistry,” a 26-segment television series produced for the Public Broadcasting System, is a vehicle that’s sufficiently entertaining and stylish to convey his enthusiasm for science to a broad audience. Geared toward a lay audience, including degree-seeking nonscience majors at two-year junior colleges, the series is expected to draw about 500,000 viewers when it airs in late 1990. Of those viewers, Hoffmann says, only a very small fraction will be students taking the course for credit. Instead, he anticipates that a far greater number or viewers will be members of the general public, people interested in learning more about the world around them (see interview with Hoffmann on page 13). Over the course of 26 half-hour programs, viewers will be introduced via Hoffmann’s narration to a variety of chemistry’s principles, facts, and theories, which are presented through experimental demonstrations and computeranimation. The series also aims to impart an understanding of the history of chemistry with discussions about the serendipitous discoveries of scientists like Louis Pasteur. According to its producers at the Educational Film Center in Annandale, Va., the programs were designed to provide a broad view of chemistry, a view that could not be equaled in a conventional classroom environment. In one program, for example, the nature of chemical re actions is illustrated on a giant scale through on-site footage of industrial processes. In other segments, several distinguished scientists discuss chemistry’s historical foundations, recent developments, and future directions. Hoffmann, a professor of physical science at Cornell University and the recipient of the 1990 Priestley Medal, the American Chemical Society’s highest award, is a long-time proponent of making chemistry more accessible to the masses. In his 25 years at Cornell, he has spent at least half his time teaching general chemistry. More recently, he has designed and taught a chemistry course for nonscience majors. “Teaching is important to me on many levels,” Hoffmann says. “I get a lot of personal satisfaction from sort of cooperating with the intelligence and talent that are in people’s minds, and awakening it.” All in all, Hoffmann believes “The World of Chemistry” will indeed make chemistry more accessible to its viewers, including those with no science background. “But it’s not prime-time entertainment,” he says, noting that he is not a professional actor and that the production was completed on a very tight budget of $3 million. As a result of the monetary constraints, “I didn’t get sent to Alexandria, [Egypt] to stand in front of something,” he says. “I got sent to Baltimore, Maryland. That’s about the range of what we could afford.” “The World of Chemistry was produced with major funding from the Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting Project. It was directed by two scientists, Isidore Adler of the University of Maryland and Nava Ben-Zvi of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Open University of Israel. The television series will be accompanied by a textbook, a paperback study guide, a laboratory manual, and a teacher’s guide, all to be published by Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia, during the autumn of 1990. While the program will not air on PBS channels until that time, videocassettes of the 26-part series are now available by contacting the Annenberg/CPB Project, do Intellimation, P.O. Box 1922, Santa Barbara, Calif. 93116-1922. For preview and ordering information, call 1-800-LEARNER. George B. Kauffman is a professor of chemistry at California State University, Fresno.

Nobelist Hoffmann To Host Chemistry Series For PBS

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