Using Video In A Science café

One way that NOVA scienceNOW supports science cafés is with free video resources. Click here to download a PDF file describing available topics.

The benefits of using video in a science café

The focus of a science café meeting is human interaction. A short video presentation helps stimulate dialogue in many ways.

At events where some of the people at the venue are not there for the café, video is a powerful way to get their attention and bring them into the discussion. Even people who ignore a moderator's introduction will often be drawn in by a video.
Mixing video with the guest scientist's presentation accommodates different learning styles in the audience.
Video can quickly help an audience understand a topic's range of implications, whether it is by presenting a visual model of a difficult concept, transporting the room to another place, or putting a human face on an issue.
It can succinctly provide background information, allowing the guest scientist to focus on the specific issues that he or she is most interested in.
A short video presentation helps to break up the café format and keep it a lively event.
Televisions are popping up in more and more public places. Integrating video into your café gives you the opportunity to take control of this dynamic.

What to consider if you plan to use video.

Choose a venue with AV capabilities. Video works best in venues where people are already accustomed to watching it. (Think sports in the local pub.)
Keep the video presentation short. It is easy to hold a crowd's attention for less than five minutes. Longer video presentations may lose your audience and divert energy away from the guest scientist.
Video is usually used at the beginning of a café meeting to kick off a topic.
When you select the segment of video you will use, note the time signature where you will start it. If you are starting a video in the middle of a story, it may be necessary to introduce it quickly to your audience ("At this point in the video…").
Before the café meeting, pause the video where you want it to start and set the volume.

If you need a DVD to show a specific NOVA scienceNOW segment at your science café, please e-mail us.

Video from the public television series NOVA scienceNOW works particularly well in science cafés. The program's lighthearted style fits the café atmosphere, while providing a substantive, vetted treatment of a topic.
In each NOVA scienceNOW episode there are several short segments on a wide variety of current science topics. These can be viewed online at http://www.pbs.org/nova/sciencenow
Check out this PDF file with a list of NOVA scienceNOW segments currently streaming online. This catalog is always growing, so check back from time to time to see what's new.