Teaching Science with Science Fiction

1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1958, 1978) * Logan’s Run (1976) * Close Teaching Science with Science Fiction Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) * Transformers (1986, 2007) * Serenity (2005) * The Matrix (1999) * Core (2003) * Cocoon (1985) * Planet of the Apes (1968) * ET (1982) * The Abyss (1989)

2. Why Use Science Fiction to Teach Science? Allows students to experience advanced and abstract science topics such as mutations, radiation, ethics, and rocket science. Lab Activity: Examine carnivorous plants – Venus Fly Trap, Pitcher Plan, Sundew, Waterwheel Plant, Bladderwort, Butterwort. Good Science: Plants have limited motion and some are carnivorous. Bad Science: A meteor shower doesn’t trigger harmful radiation; the shower would not be visible worldwide at the same time; the mutation would not affect all people/plants identically; seawater would not dissolve life forms that have saline fluids inside. Day of the Triffids (1981) Meteor shower mutates plant species, causing plants to move and become predacious.

3. War of the Worlds (2005) Story of an invasion of the world by tripod fighting machines, equipped with advanced weaponry.

4. Why Use Science Fiction to Teach Science? Provides a new avenue for learning and helps reverse negative attitudes toward science. Satellite crashes in town and most residents die; crystal life form, Andromeda, is responsible. Andromeda Strain (1971) Good Science: Scientific procedures used to isolate the disease, methods of determining size and vector (method of transfer) are accurate, biosafety procedures, human physiology, and portrayal of epileptic seizures. Bad Science: Birds in town should be dead like everything else, decontamination procedure wouldn’t have worked on Andromeda because radiation makes it grow.

5. Slither (2006) Slither: A tycoon is infected by a malevolent extraterrestrial creature that threatens to destroy the human race. Soon, unusual things begin to happen within the normally peaceful town. Pets go missing, followed by livestock, and finally people, with all of it leading back to Grant. Invasion: An alien life form, much like a fungus or spore, clings to the space shuttle Patriot as it crashes back to Earth, spreading tainted debris from Texas to Washington, D.C. Curious onlookers steal, touch and even sell the parts on eBay, much like what happened with the Columbia disaster. The Invasion (2007)

6. Research suggests that interest in science fiction may be an important factor in leading men and women to become interested in science as a career. Good Science: Some caves are indeed formed by volcanoes; luminescent algae; underground mushrooms; increase in temperature as you go underground. Bad Science: Caves shown in move are solution caves, not volcanic cave formations; magnets do not attract goal; really bad dinosaur depiction; amount of light present; underground ocean; depth of caves; center of Earth. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) Group of explorers enters a volcano to follow the path of a previous explorer to the center of the Earth.

7. Science fiction improves learning science by helping to develop student understanding of science processes and interconnectedness of science disciplines. A boy develops a disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his father decides to learn all about it and tackle the problem himself. Lorenzo’s Oil (1992) • Application of the scientific method and developing hypotheses in an interesting real world situation. • Great introduction to chemistry and physiology principals Handout: Lesson Plan for Lorenzo’s Oil

8. WALL-E (2007). It follows the story of a robot named WALL-E who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future. Meet Dave (2008) Aliens come to earth in a search to save their planet. Moon (2009) Solitary lunar employee experiences a personal crisis as the end of his three-year stint nears.

9. Preview and be prepared to address possible misconceptions and incorrect information. Good Science: Accurate description of blood vessels, heart, lungs, and ear; factual description of body functions. Scientist dying of blood clot holds secret to miniaturization, so a crew is miniaturized to destroy the clot. They travel through several body systems. Bad Science: Impossibility of shrinking (breaks law of conservation of mass/energy); brain shown to be largely empty; antibodies shown acting too quickly and with specific target. Possible use as introduction to nanotechnology. Fantastic Voyage (1966)

10. Science fiction improves science learning by making it easier to learn related content. Fat Man & Little Boy (1989) • Dialogue includes debate concerning the use of atomic weapons and whether the U.S. should have dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. • Development of both the implosion and explosion models for triggering a nuclear chain reaction • Supplements lessons about fission, fusion, supercritical mass, chain reaction, and other aspects of subatomic physics • History/sociology/politics of science through stories about Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, Leo Szilard, and Robert Wilson • See Teach with Movies Learning Guide (must have account) Reenacts the Manhattan Project development of first nuclear weapons during World War II. The film is named after the nuclear weapons known by the code names "Fat Man" and "Little Boy", focusing on Gen. Leslie R. Groves and Robert Oppenheimer, the military and scientific heads of the project. In reference to the Trinity test in New Mexico, where his Los Alamos team first tested the bomb, Oppenheimer famously recalled the Bhagavad Gita "If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one." and "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

11. Science fiction improves learning science by providing direct visualization of abstract topics. • Science Concepts • four dimensions of length, width, depth, and time • Newton’s notion of absolute time • Einstein’s theory of relativity - time is intertwined with space and inseparable; therefore relative and not absolute • Consideration of fifth dimension • Nuclear holocaust George, an inventor living in England at the turn of the 20th century, has crafted a machine that can move through time. He passes through World War I, World War II, a nuclear holocaust and thousands of years beyond to find a strange future and two new races - Eloi, a beautiful, indolent, pleasure seeking race, and the Morlocks, mutated, hideous, industrious, and savage. The Time Machine (1960, 2002)

12. Science fiction film has been found to be slightly more effective in increasing achievement test scores than traditional educational films or documentaries. Twister (1996) NSSL went on tour with Universal Studies to promote tornado safety while they promoted the release of the movie Twister. You can see one of their vans in the photo below. National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) serves the nation by working to improve the lead-time and accuracy of severe weather warnings and forecasts in order to save lives and reduce property damage. NSSL scientists are committed to their mission to understand the causes of severe weather and explore new ways to use weather information to assist National Weather Service forecasters and federal, university, and private sector partners. Math: speed calculations, comparisons of various storms, plotting map positions of storms; graphing tornado statistics PE: Twister game SS: Discuss storm damage and economic impact, analyze benefits/risks of early warning systems

13. When used to introduce a topic, science fiction provides reference point and shared experience for the class. Good Science: depiction of conditions in space and on the moon; description of behavior of objects in freefall orbit, process of how nuclear rockets work, relationship between mass and fuel needed. Destination Moon (1950) But be careful not to perpetuate misconceptions! Showing short clips is best approach when using film to introduce a topic. Bad Science: The moon has dust over most of its surface, and this is not shown in the film. Final credit for DESTINATION MOON (1950) reads "This is THE END..Of The Beginning." Story is about a successful first flight to the moon. Four men in spacecraft built by a private USA company which takes off early because a "court order" has been issued to stop the trip .

14. As a concluding activity, science fiction can provide points for discussion, reinforcement of facts learned, a context for the subject matter, and as areas for further research. Star Trek The Immunity Syndrome (1968) Good Science: realistic descriptions of cell parts and processes. Bad Science: Impossibility of single cell reaching such huge proportions. Star Trek crew encounters a giant cell which is absorbing all known forms of energy and realize it is about to divide. The Enterprise acts as an antibody for the galaxy and uses antimatter to destroy the cell. Having learned cell structure, students can recognize parts of the giant cell; and identify cell errors.

15. Science fiction improves learning science by helping students understand the complexity of scientific research and how it is a cultural process. SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) is a NASA partnership with the German Space Agency (DLR) to develop a Boeing 747SP airliner fitted with a 2.5-meter reflecting telescope. SOFIA will be the largest airborne observatory in the world, and will begin flight testing in the second half of 2009. It is housed in at the Dryden Air Operations Facility in Palmdale, CA. Learn more at the SETI or NASA Websites. Aliens contact Earth and send plans for a mysterious machine. It appears designed to transport a person through space-time, but no one is sure. Should mankind build the machine or not? And if we send someone traveling through space on the machine, who should represent our species? The film is based on Carl Sagan's science fiction novel of the same name. Contact (1997) Film references SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute (www.seti.org)

16. Science Fiction Lesson Ideas • Have a set of questions student can answer while watching the film. • Helps students engage in the film, follow the story, recognize facts, develop listening skills. • Provide a list of scientific vocabulary. • Have students write sentences with terms before they view the film, and then after within the context of the film. • Follow the film with discussion questions or laboratory activity. • Use multiple science fiction films in the same theme and have students compare and contract science information. • Consider showing only a few clips from the movie, then providing extra credit for a film or book report. • Use the film to address the question: How does science impact my personal life and society? • ALWAYS ADDRESS INCORRECT INFORMATION AND STUDENT MISCONCEPTIONS! Finding Nemo (2003) Jaws (1975) It Came from Beneath the Sea (1995)

17. Suggestions for Use of Science Fiction Films Dante’s Peak (1997) • To gain attention • To stimulate recall of prerequisite learning • To present stimulus material • To provide learning guidance • To elicit performance • To enhance retention and transfer Good Science: Visual representation of volcano; discussion of pre-eruption effects; depiction of an explosive eruption. Bad Science: Truck driving through lava; classic range volcanoes do not typically erupt with basaltic free flowing lava, people could not outrun the flow Scientist’s warning of volcano eruption goes unheeded.

18. Remember that the film is only one part of the presentation! • How do ants live together? • How big can an ant get? • What could make an ant grow giant-size? • What is radioactivity? • Individually and without assistance, draw and label an image of an ant on a 3 x 5 card. • With a partner, define these terms: to the best of your ability: Acid Antenna Atomic bomb Density Entomologist Mutate Queen Radioactivity

19. Them (1954) Answer these Questions: In what state does the movie begin? How does the little girl act? How do you know that an ordinary robbery has not happened at the trailer? What do the police find on the ground outside the trailer? What makes the little girl react? When and where did the first atomic bomb explode? What does the little girl say? What kind of doctor is Dr. Medford? What makes the whistling sound and prints? The ant is helpless without what part? What two chemicals are used to trap and kill the ants? What distinguishing feature do queen ants have? Where do the Los Angeles ants live? Handout: Them! Questions

20. Good Science: Factual discussion of structure and processes of ants and ant nests; anatomy of ants and uses of formic acid; ant’s organized fighting behavior. Bad Science: insect exoskeleton would not support its weight if it were 30 feet long; its respiratory system could not supply enough oxygen; ants are not incapacitated by loss of antennae. Some ants are resistant to cyanide. Radioactivity does not cause gigantism. Topics for Study: insects, physiology, exoskeletons, gigantism, genetics, mutation, insect culture, radioactivity, lead, hydrogen cyanide, atomic bomb, history of science, U.S. history, atomic age, nuclear chemistry, women in science Student Activity: Create a KWL Chart on one of these topics.

21. Wikipedia Science Fiction Films by Decade • Cavanaugh and Cavanaugh (2004). Teach Science with Science Fiction Films: A Guide for Teachers and Library Media Specialists. Worthington, OH: Linworth. • Teach with Movies Handout: List of Science Fiction Films October Sky (1999) “I have several movies that I show throughout the year. The first one is called “October Sky.” I show this when we study Newton’s Laws. The movie is about a group of students living in a coal mining town in West Virginia. They decide to build a rocket in response to the launch of Sputnik. The students go through quite a lot to launch their rockets and they go on to win the national science fair. This is a true story; the author, Homer Hickam, went on to work for NASA. It’s a very inspiring story, and it leads into our building and launching of model rockets. If you don’t own this movie and you teach physics, get on eBay right this second.” (Blog: Physics Movies I Like to Show)