Brief: Radio series 'Science Left Out' begins

Several UI faculty and staff members and students will be featured
beginning this week in a radio series produced by a group of UI
engineering and physical sciences graduate students and funded by the
Frederick Seitz Materials Research Lab.

The program, "Science Left Out," will be broadcast locally on community
radio station WEFT-FM (90.1) from 6:30 to 7 p.m. on Mondays, through
Oct. 31.

The programs focus on the nonscientific activities of scientists and
explore the human side of various science-oriented professions, according
to physics graduate student Peter Miller, who initiated the project. For
example, one program examines political involvement by scientists and
features physics professor Mike Weissman, who talks about his role in
resisting the federal government's "Star Wars" research and development
efforts, and nuclear engineering professor Cliff Singer, who discusses
his motivations for running for political office. In another program,
four female scientists discuss the difficulties of being women in male-
dominated fields, and share tactics that have helped them get ahead
professionally.

Miller said he started the project because he wanted to gain a broader
understanding of how science works, and to share that understanding
with others.

"I just thought that people were running around answering questions about
nature without asking, 'Why do we care about these questions?' " Miller
said. "I think I need a sense of purpose in my work, and building the
foundations for faster computers didn't seem like an overwhelmingly
worthwhile purpose."