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Recent local TV reports on engineering highlight IEEE technologies that benefit society

From tracking movement of airborne pollution to monitoring a baby's breathing while sleeping

WASHINGTON (30 April 2009) -- As part of its public awareness program to promote engineering and technological literacy, IEEE-USA has helped to underwrite more than 600 local television news reports on engineering and science since 2005. From October 2008 through March 2009, TV news reports aired on IEEE technologies that benefit society have included segments on:

• How engineers have processed data from NASA's Aura satellite to track and predict the movement of airborne pollution
• How engineers and computer scientists have developed software to coordinate the movement of thousands of cars in case of an emergency evacuation
• How electrical and computer engineers have designed a monitor that keeps track of a baby's breathing while asleep with the goal of saving infants from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
• How electrical and computer engineers have created a system based on magnets that enables disabled persons to use the tongue to control the movement of a wheelchair
• How human development scientists and computer game developers have designed a video game that teaches youngsters how to resolve conflicts peacefully amongst themselves

In 2008, 16 segments on IEEE technologies were aired with an estimated 83 million views. Additionally, IEEE-related technology stories have their own Web site at http://www.aip.org/dbis/IEEE. To view selected reports as they were aired by local TV stations, e-mail .

The "Discoveries & Breakthroughs Inside Science" TV news reports are distributed to local U.S. television stations in more than 100 cities, transit systems in seven U.S. cities, at the Mall of America in Minnesota, as well as through the Voice of America and the ROO Online Video Network in more than 60 countries. Stations airing the IEEE-related spots in the United States include a mix of ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Univision, cable and independent affiliates. An estimated 200 million viewers watch "Discoveries & Breakthroughs" originating from the Middle East Broadcasting Center.

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 "Discoveries & Breakthroughs" TV news service was developed by the American Institute of Physics with a coalition of 23 technical professional organizations including IEEE-USA. The service delivers 12 vetted 90 second TV reports monthly -- in English and Spanish -- with a potential reach of up to 75 million TV viewers, and an estimated 47 million online views per month through local TV stations' Web sites.

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