Follow-up: Pardis Sabeti on ScienceNOW tomorrow

As a follow-up to my post on super cool geneticist Pardis Sabeti, you might want to check out the July 2nd episode of ScienceNOW on your local PBS station. If you miss it (or don't get PBS programming), you can watch the segment online, beginning July 3.

She's also got several videos up on Big Think, where she talks about being a woman in science and why she does what she does: because solving puzzles is fun.

Tags: Pardis Sabeti, ScienceNOW, PBS

Do you want to be a star?

A post on LA Craigslist, NY Craigslist and Boston Craigslist (and maybe others, I didn't check):

Leading cable television network is casting for female scientists (professionals or grad students) to host a reality/documentary series. Smart, energetic, charismatic candidates wanted. No previous media experience required.

Please submit the following via email to castmetv@gmail.com: two photos of yourself, a short bio with info about your job or studies and your passions/hobbies, a résumé/CV outlining your background in science, and your contact info (full name, email, phone number with area code, and your mailing address). Also include links to video of candidate (e.g. on YouTube), if available.

If you feel comfortable in front of the camera - and aren't too concerned about how your image might be "spun" for show - you might want to check it out. (Also the posts are almost a month old, so they may be cast already).

The same casting company is also looking for engineers (sex not specified). That ad was posted today.

(via Pharyngula)

Women on the Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom that features a couple of socially awkward yet brilliant male physics postdocs who live across the hall from a sociable "blond bombshell" actress/waitress of "average intellect." And of course one of the geeky geniuses finds love with his hot non-genius neighbor. I've never seen it, so I don't really know what it's like. The description makes it sounds like nerdy male fantasy fulfillment, which isn't really my cup of tea.

The season finale was on May 19, but it was apparently popular enough that they are talking about next season. Science recently ran an article about the show's science advisor, UCLA physicist David Saltzberg, who apparently keeps the physics fairly accurate. So does The Big Bang Theory include any female physicists?

Leonard, plyaed by Johnny Galecki, is the experimentalist who longs for [actress/waitress] Penny and has a disastrous fling with Leslie, a brilliant labmate, who spends part of their tryst correcting an equation. In the episode in which Leonard firs asks Leslie for a date – "a biosocial exploration with a neurochemical overlay," he calls it – the two test how long it takes a powerful lab laser to heat up soup.

You can watch the clip on YouTube. If you enjoy scientist stereotypes - thick glasses, uncombed hair, poor social skills - you'll probably get a laugh out of it.

Leslie is the only female research on the show, a complaint [creator] Prady and Saltzberg hear often from women, whether scientists or journalists. Prady promises that more female scientists will appear. "The [female-male] ratio is actually higher on the show that it is in my part of the field, which is pretty bad, Saltzberger unhappily adds.

There are fewer than one? I guess he's talking about the ratio of the single female physicist character to the 3 or 4 male physicist characters. But hey, it's a fantasy, so why not have two female physicists - and have one of them date a sexy actor/waiter.

The show's production team actually visited the UCLA physics department and apparently received a depressing picture of what it's like to be a woman in physics - which, of course, they'll include in the show:

Prady met a physicist who lies about what she does in social situations, because she feels her career intimidates men. "We're going to have Leslie do that," Prady says. "Whenever anybody says they lie about who they are, there's a rich story to tell there."

At least I find it depressing. The article goes on to talk about how much physicists - male and female - love the series, so maybe it's just me. I doubt I'll bother to give it a go when I can watch the socially inept but brilliant Gregory House instead.

• Watch the video clips that accompany the Science article.
• Watch some recent full episodes of the Big Bang Theory at CBS.com.

Image: Guess which character in this The Big Bang Theory group photo is not a physicist.
Tags: The Big Bang Theory, physics, women in science

Reality show casting call for girls who love math and science

I received the following announcement on one of my mailing lists today (republished with permission):

Casting Females With Brains ASAP!!! Please Forward.

Are you tired of turning on the TV and watching the same cookie-cutter girls over and over again?

Do you love math, science, computers, comic books, or games that require thinking?

Is fashion and style low on your list of priorities?

Are you a girl who is all brains and couldn't care less about celebrity gossip?

Is it difficult to find a good guy?

A Major Television Network wants you for a show shooting for 6 weeks this summer!

Please send us an e-mail telling us about yourself along with a current picture and a contact number ASAP!

Come on girls! Let's level the playing field!

If you fit the bill we will need you to audition this week!

If you are interested, contact:

Valerie Penso
TotalRealityCast (at) aol (dot) com
Casting Director
3 Ball Productions

They want to audition potential participants this week, so time is of the essence.

3 Ball Productions has produced a number of reality shows, including the Endurance series on Discovery Kids!

Tags: television, reality show, casting call