NBC science videos with MSE input earn a Sports Emmy
An NBC online video series about the 2010 Winter Olympics, which included an interview with MSE associate professor Kathy Flores on the strength and flexibility of hockey sticks, has won a Sports Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Called the “Science of the Olympic Winter Games,” the 16-part series explored the scientific principles of a variety of winter Olympic sports—from ski jumping to figure skating. Flores was interviewed for a segment called “Slapshot Physics: Hockey,” as well as for segments on safety equipment and the science of skis. The Academy announced the award during the 32nd Annual Sports Emmy Awards in New York City on May 2, 2011.
Narrated by NBC news anchor Lester Holt, the series combined the state-of-the-art video production capabilities of NBCUniversal with the expertise of National Science Foundation-supported scientists and the athletic skills of Winter Olympians, who described how principles of science applied to their respective sports.
The series, which earned a Sport Emmy for Outstanding New Approaches to Sports Programming, ran on NBCLearn.com, NBCOlympics.com and NSF.gov. The hockey segment also was featured on NBC’s Today Show as a “warm-up” to the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Canada in February of last year.
