"To be part of a pioneering effort that will generate change is the experience of a lifetime." (Hannah Abend, geophysicist)
Rob Morrow, co-star of the hit television series NUMB3RS, appears on screen.
Available in Time for Earth Month & Earth Day!
Scheduling Hook:April is Earth Month and April 22 is Earth Day
Distributor: American Public Television (APT)
Producer: Emmy-Award Winning Helene Lerner, Creative Expansions, Inc.
Presenter: KCTS 9/Seattle Public Television
Distributor: American Public Television (APT)
NOLA Codes: INNO 000 SD-Base Revision 001
INNO 000 SD-Widescreen Revision 001
INNO 000 HD-Upconverted Base Revision 001
Available: April 1, 2009
Broadcast Rights (SD & HD): Unl. Rel./2 Yrs (April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2011)
SD Feed for Record: Sunday, March 29, 2009, 1230-1300ET /SD05
HD Feed: Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 1100-1130ET /HD03
A Press Kit Containing a DVD Will Be Mailed Early February
Dear colleague:
KCTS 9/Seattle Public Television and APT are pleased to present INNOVATE: Engineering Change, a 30-minute program combining the best elements of reality and documentary-style programming. Hosted by Emmy-Award winning Helene Lerner, the program (which Helene calls her best ever!) takes viewers under New York City’s East River for a tricky installation that could provide a green energy alternative to New York as well as to other locales around America—and beyond. Rob Morrow, co-star of the hit television series NUMB3RS, also appears on screen. Look for the feeds on March 29th and April 1st, in time for Earth Month and Earth Day.
INNOVATE: Engineering Change goes behind the scenes with a diverse group of scientists and engineers to test the installation of 16 foot turbines into the East River. Viewers watch anxiously, along with politicians, investors and the media, as the turbines are carefully lowered into New York’s East. With so much at stake, the tension mounts. It doesn’t work the first time! Thrown by the unexpected failure, we stay up with the team as they problem-solve into the night and devise a new plan. Their hard work pays off when power is successfully generated.
INNOVATE: Engineering Change follows the experiment conducted by Verdant Power, a “virtual” company staffed by people who live and work in varied locations. The company developed turbines that use the power of moving water to generate electricity. If their pilot project in New York City’s East River succeeds, this alternative source of energy has the likelihood of becoming a commercial venture. But the team members have had their work cut out for them: The river current has proven to be faster than originally anticipated, and the force of the water has broken a number of turbine blades, necessitating their redesign.
Experimenters include:
Hannah Abend, geophysicist. When Abend was growing up, the boys around her were convinced that girls couldn’t do math—so she set out to master math, then went on to study physics. Today, when the team is considering a new location, Abend studies the conditions and determines what sort of energy could be produced by the turbines.
Jonathan Colby, hydrodynamic engineer. Colby grew up in Atlanta, where his high school soccer coach—who was also his trigonometry teacher—encouraged him to take his aptitude for math and science “and run with it.” Now based in New York City, the young engineer played a key role in the redesign of the turbine blades.
Dean Whatmoor, logistics and safety. The former stockbroker is a self-described “jack of all trades.” His experience as a survivor of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center changed him: “I think my values changed. … I wanted to feel like I was making a difference.” Whatmoor now says, “I’m in my groove.”
Susana Crespo, geospatial analyst. Based in Maryland, Crespo makes maps of locations the company is interested in exploring. She says, “Our turbines aren’t necessarily going to save the world on their own, but they’re really an important step to advancing a technology.”
The outreach and education component for Innovate: Engineering Change includes:
· Shortened DVD sets come with an Instructor's Guide for use in school and after school.
Innovate: Engineering Change is produced by Emmy award winning producer Helene Lerner, who hosts the program and is its executive producer, and Creative Expansions, Inc. It is presented by KCTS 9/Seattle Public Television and distributed by APT Exchange. Major funding is provided by State Farm Companies Foundation. Additional funding provided by Caterpillar, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Intel Foundation, Motorola Foundation and Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation. Outreach funding is provided by National Instruments, Rockwell Automation, Rockwell Collins and Xerox. Local underwriting is permitted as long as the funder is not a competitor of the production and outreach underwriters (Check with KCTS).
Please contact me if you have questions. I’ll be in touch with you about your carriage plans during the next months. A fact sheet follows.
Very truly yours,
Regina
Regina Eisenberg
R Eisenberg Presents, Inc. 2340 Powell Street, Suite 333, Emeryville, CA 94608 regina@reisenbergpresents.com ▪ 510.550.1706
SD Feed for Record: Sunday, March 29, 2009, 1230-1300ET /SD05
HD Feed: Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 1100-1130ET /HD03
Audio/Visual:
Stereo
Scheduling Hook: Available in Time for Earth Month & Earth Day!
Producer: Emmy-Award Winning Helene Lerner, executive producer Creative Expansions, Inc.
Presenter: KCTS 9/Seattle Public Television
Distributor: American Public Television (APT)
Underwriters:
Major funding provided by State Farm Companies Foundation.
Additional funding provided by Caterpillar, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Intel Foundation
Motorola Foundation
Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation.
Outreach funding provided by National Instruments
Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Collins
Xerox.
Local Underwriting: Local underwriting is permitted as long as the underwriter is not a competitor of the production or outreach underwriters. (Check with KCTS.)
Outreach: · Shortened DVD sets come with an Instructor's Guide for use in school and after school.
DVD: Available on DVD beginning April 1, 2009. Price: $14.95 plus shipping and handling. To order, call 1.800.937.5387.
R Eisenberg Presents, Inc.
