Developing An Engineering Focused Narrative Television Series
Elizabeth Cady, Norman L. Fortenberry · 2020
As a means to enhance technological literacy, attract more young people to careers in engineering and contribute to the sustainment of the national capacity for technological innovation, the Center for the Advancement of Scholarship at the National Academy of Engineering seeks to increase public awareness of the role of engineering.We seek to build upon our experience with previous workshops that have explored the representations of engineers and engineering in films and television in order to advance the implementation of a "prime-time" commercial television series that highlights the positive roles of engineers in modern society.A key first step was to have a committee plan and convene a forum wherein experienced producers, writers, and directors devoted one and one-half days in November, 2008, to discussion of key questions which will determine the viability of attaining an engineeringfocused narrative television series.This project builds upon social constructivism and cultivation theory to offer the hypothesis that those who view positive television and/or movie images of engineers are more likely to believe that engineering represents a legitimate career field than are those who have not been exposed to such images.We seek to engage three sectors critical to the testing of our hypothesis -writers, directors, and producers-in order to lay the foundation for the conduct of a proper large-scale experiment.The potential broader impacts are increased public attention to, interest in, and support of engineering as a profession in general and as a career choice in particular.