The Story of Science: In the Grass, On the Reef

WFSU In the Grass, On the Reef

At age 38, Dr. Randy Olson changed careers. Or, more accurately, he took his career down an entirely different kind of path. The marine biologist enrolled in USC's graduate film program and started making movies. About science. And he started writing books and running workshops for scientists. He wants to make researchers better storytellers, with the goal of having them better communicate science to the public. His last two films were on evolution (Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus) and global warming (Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy), two topics on which scientists share more consensus than the general public.

In December of 2012, he held a workshop in WFSU-TV's studios for science students enrolled at Florida State University. The workshop was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation as part of the "In the Grass, On the Reef" project. "In the Grass, On the Reef" follows the research of Dr. David Kimbro and Dr. Randall Hughes. Over the last two years, video cameras have accompanied them in the salty muck of salt marshes and oyster reefs to tell the story of their research.