Science in Film Lecture

My thoughts in general: If you are wondering, yes, that is a picture of Ben Unguren. Last weekend, Ben gave a lecture at the Orem Public Library about science in film. He was substituting for Dean Duncan, but I mention this to in no way compare the two; I am simply presenting the facts of the situation. He began by discussing science fiction film and how the representation of science in film has changed over the years. We watched clips from Bride of Frankenstein and Fantastic Voyage and discussed the accuracy of the science in those films. Specifically Ben mentioned how Frankenstein was an old film based on an even older novel, so the science of the world of the film is expectedly primitive in our view. However, by the time Fantastic Voyage journeys through the human heart, scientific knowledge has advanced to a point where we visit anatomically accurate chambers of the heart and human blood actually contains blood cells. The science in this film reflects its contemporary scientific understanding. One point that Ben made was that films try to represent the most up-to-date, "cutting edge" scientific knowledge.



My thoughts on application: I don't know from which high school they came, but the room was packed with students who were attending Ben's lecture for extra credit. I found this particularly interesting while thinking about the pedagogical value of Ben's lecture. I think the basis of his lecture--science in film--has great academic merit. Much can be explored through studying the science in films from different time periods. Films really do reflect the science of times, whether the issue is transplantation or genetic engineering. A discussion like this could have application in a science classroom or a history classroom. I think that from a student's perspective this kind of lesson could be very engaging.