We're talking here about using television as a means of communicating ideas, above and beyond getting your work mentioned by ABC or CNN. Television is a versatile medium with a lot of potential and a lot of pitfalls.

Again, there are shows about science and there are shows in which science (or math or engineering) are used. Scientists are often divided on the latter types of programs, as evidenced by NUMB3RS, which earn praise for making math cool, but raise the hackles of some mathematicians for promoting the 'eccentric genius with idiosyncracies' stereotypes. There have even been suggestions that mathematicians might learn something about math by working with the people who popularize their field.

Science and Science-Related TV

* indicates currently airing

• Sports Science* - Fox. From the people who brought you 'Fight Science' comes a series in which top athletes help illustrate basic scientific principles.
• NUMB3RS* - CBS. You can read Popular Science's interesting review of the show. Physics Today also has an article on the show.
• The Big Bang Theory* - CBS. They advertise the show as "From Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady comes a new comedy that shows what happens when two hyperintelligent scientists meet a beautiful woman--and realize they know next to nothing about life outside of the lab."
• CSI* - CBS. An article in MRS Bulletin explains how shows like this have transformed scientists into heroes of the age and have made it "cool" to be a scientist.
• Catalyst is a six-part series about science and technology aimed at teenagers.
• Breaking the Code, about Rosalind Franklin whose work led to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA.
• The television film The Strange Life and Death of Dr Turing (ALAN TURING 1912-1954.Mathematical genius, wartime ENIGMA code-breaker, and godfather of the digital computer) was made for the BBC Horizon series in December 1991, and first shown on 9 March 1992. The film-maker was Christopher Sykes, who did an excellent job on a rather low budget; it shows many places and people in the Turing story as well as explaining the line of his work, and in fact the interviews were valuable additions to the record

People

• Bill Nye talks about the importance of communicating ideas and about his career on television.