VCU, five other universities join as advisors to new life sciences TV show

By Lorraine Cichowski
VCU News Services

WASHINGTON, D.C. – VCU President Eugene P. Trani said Thursday that much of the burden and responsibility for educating the public about the dramatic recent discoveries in medical research, biology and biotechnology fall to the nation’s universities.

Dr. Trani made his comments at a news conference at the National Press Club held by Emmy Award-winning producer Jonathan Ward to announce the launch of a new public television show, "Secrets of the Sequence," focused on genetic research and the life sciences.

VCU is one of six leading life sciences research institutions advising Ward Television Corp. on content for the 52-week show, which will make its debut on Public Broadcasting System stations the weekend of April 7. In addition to VCU, the other institutions involved are Harvard University; the University of Michigan; the University of Wisconsin, Madison; the University of California, San Francisco, and the Medical Research Council/Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England.

"The airing of "Secrets of the Sequence" represents a breakthrough in the effort to establish public dialogue about the implications of research in the post-genomic era," said Trani, chairman of the university advisory board whose members joined him at the news conference and later at a luncheon briefing to congressional staff members at the Hart Senate Office Building.

"Educating the public is ultimately what higher education is all about," Trani said. "It is difficult to develop responsible policy without an informed society. Where the public goes, so goes the future of education and public policy."

Trani said the program is an example of VCU’s commitment to public education and exemplifies how VCU is taking the lead at a national level to bring greater focus to the life sciences. A particular emphasis of the show, he said, will be making more of the nation’s youth aware of the possibilities of science.

"If we don’t get our young people involved in science, we’re going to be falling behind," Trani said. "Other countries are definitely doing it."

He said the advisory board would work with such groups as the National Association of Biology Teachers to make segments of the 30-minute weekly show available to schools.

"Secrets of the Sequence" features in-depth interviews with scientists, ethicists and policymakers and explores the discovery and manipulation of the human, animal and plant genome as well as the potential of applications of that research. The show is hosted by award-winning science journalist Lucky Severson and distributed by American Public Television of Boston. It will be available by July 1 in 63% of all homes, representing 17 of the top 20 markets. Underwriters include Pfizer, Pfizer Foundation, Oracle and the Council for Biotechnology and Information.