Science Education meets the big screen for the 2019 Science on Screen events at the Athena Cinema
Athena Cinema Science on Screen presents “The Lady Vanishes,” by Alfred Hitchcock, March 26 at 7 p.m. followed by a discussion with special guest Professor of Psychology, Dr. Julie Suhr.
Ohio University’s College of Fine Arts is proud to announce the Athena Cinema has once again received a nationwide grant by the Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supporting its 2019 Science on Screen® events. The Athena is among 27 film organizations nationwide participating in the first National Week of Science on Screen, featuring science speakers and movie screenings from March 20 to 26.
The National Week of Science on Screen — formerly the National Evening of Science on Screen launched in 2015 — is an annual celebration of the nationwide Science on Screengrant initiative.
Participating organizations use one of the nation’s favorite pastimes — going to the movies — to promote public understanding of science. Each organization will host events pairing a scientific lecture with a screening of a feature film or documentary. The Athena’s Science on Screen program, started in 2012, allows acclaimed scientific experts and technological innovators the opportunity to present their expertise in a more fun and engaging way on an unexpected platform, offering more accessibility to a diverse audience.
“We love participating in Science on Screen at the Athena because the program celebrates interdisciplinary collaborations in our community,” Athena Cinema director Alexandra Kamody said. “It shows that science and art are inseparable and makes that connection exciting.”
The Athena Cinema will kick off the series with “Now You See Her, Now You Don’t,” on Tuesday, March 26, at 7 p.m., which will include a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Lady Vanishes,” with a lecture by Dr. Julie Suhr, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director of clinical training in the College of Arts and Sciences. Suhr will discuss the neuroscience behind unconsciousness, memory impairment and memory distortion in Hitchcock’s mesmerizing thriller. Admission is free, sponsored by Arts for OHIO.
Science on Screen grantee theaters run three or more Science on Screen events per year, creatively pairing screenings of classic, cult, science fiction and documentary films with presentations by notable experts from the world of science and technology. Each film serves as a jumping-off point for the speaker to introduce current research or technological advances in a way that engages general audiences. The grant is funded by the Sloan Foundation’s Program for Public Understanding of Science, Technology & Economics and administered by the Coolidge Corner Theatre, the celebrated Massachusetts art-house cinema that launched the Science on Screen format in 2005.
The Athena Cinema will announce additional Science on Screen events later in the spring.