06/08/2012

The Winning Answer to a Burning Question

Watch the Video: What is a Flame?>>

Alan Alda challenged scientists to explain what a flame is to an 11-year-old. Three months and more than 800 entries later he is back with the winner of the contest. Ira Flatow and guests discuss the winning entry and why the contest was an effective exercise in science communication.

In the video above, Alda describes what inspired him to launch the “flame challenge.”

Segment Guests

Flora Lichtman

Flora Lichtman was the host of the podcast Every Little Thing. She’s a former Science Friday multimedia producer.

Alan Alda

Alan Alda is an actor and writer. He’s also the host of the Clear + Vivid podcast, and founder of the Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University in New York.

Ben Ames

Ben Ames is a PhD Candidate of Quantum Optics with the University of Innsbruck. He is based in Innsbruck, Austria.