WASHINGTON (6 October 2009) -- To increase the public's awareness and appreciation of the role of engineering in society, IEEE-USA has helped to produce more than three-dozen TV news reports on IEEE technologies this year. The segments were distributed to 140 U.S. TV stations and aired on stations with an estimated 122 million views.
The IEEE-USA-supported reports included: "Biomedical Engineers Creating Voice-Command Robotic Helping Hand for Patients in Need"; "Engineers Zero-In on Fighting Astronaut Bone Loss with Space Treadmill Simulator"; "Computer Scientists Make Still Photos in Existing Video Pixel Perfect with New Software"; and "Engineers Create Alternate Left Turns to Speed Up Intersections."
To view these IEEE-related technology stories, visit IEEE-USA's dedicated Web site at http://www.aip.org/dbis/IEEE. To see an example of how a local TV station broadcasts these reports, go to the story on "Doppler Radar Tracking Babies" at http://aip.org/dbis/stories/2009/10089.html.
Over the last five years, IEEE-USA has helped to underwrite some 700 local television news reports on engineering and science through the American Institute of Physics' "Discoveries & Breakthroughs" TV news service. IEEE-USA volunteer members collaborate with other technical professional society representatives in weekly telephone conferences to develop and vet story ideas, and to review scripts.
"Discoveries & Breakthroughs" is designed to provide accurate science, technology, engineering and mathematical news in an easily understood, visual format: to the millions who watch local TV news in the United States; to a growing international audience; and to Web news media syndicators. "Discoveries & Breakthroughs" stories are also being pitched to news editors in shrinking news operations -- focusing on newspapers and their Web sites, as well as wire services and other major Web news aggregators.
Academic research has documented that the public obtains most of its information about engineering and science from local TV news and that viewers of the "Discoveries & Breakthroughs" TV reports are more likely to support engineering and science than those who are not viewers.
The service delivers 12 vetted 90-second TV reports monthly, in English and Spanish, through its subscribing U.S. TV news stations -- with a confirmed minimum average of more than 47 million audience views per month, according to Nielsen Media Research, SIGMA. Voice of America and the Middle East Broadcasting Center air the reports worldwide.
"Discoveries & Breakthroughs" is seeking new story ideas to include in its TV reports. IEEE student chapters are encouraged to submit stories about engineering breakthroughs themselves, or through their universities' public information officers, to Emilie Lorditch at <elorditc@aip.org>.
IEEE-USA advances the public good and promotes the careers and public policy interests of more than 210,000 engineers, scientists and allied professionals who are U.S. members of IEEE. IEEE-USA is part of IEEE, the world's largest technical professional society with 375,000 members in 160 countries. See http://www.ieeeusa.org.