- Rough Science
"Rough Science" is a UK factual
television series made by theBBC in collaboration with theOpen University and has,as of 2005 , had six series. It is broadcast in prime time onBBC Two and is considered something of a "break-out hit" for the Open University. Rough Science debuted in 2000. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363367/ IMDb.com]The series' formula consists of a group four or five scientists with specialities in different fields who are given a task which they must complete using the
natural resources of the surrounding area together with a small set of supplies. Each programme features a different task and follows the scientists as they use their knowledge and ingenuity to in attempting to fulfil it and, in the process, educate the viewing public — despite failure being common.The episode either requires the team to work together in smaller groups to create requirements for the overall challenge, for the small groups to fulfil vaguely related challenges or even to complete the same task in competition. It has been set in a different scenic location each series, typically somewhere with plenty of plants for use by the group. The presenter is
Kate Humble and groups of scientists - most of the scientists appear in several of the series.eries 1
This series was set on a
Mediterranean island and featured four episodes, and hence tasks.
# Mediterranean Mystery: Discover thelongitude andlatitude of the island, create aradio from asaucepan and create aninsect repellent .
# Simmering Shutterbugs: Create a camera with film, create a compass and dye a flag.
# Power Supplies: The group are taken to a disused prison on the island where they have to generate power and build a pharmacy (creatingantiseptic usingolive s andmyrtle and anti-flatulent withfennel seeds).
# Sustenance and Sayonara: The final episode involves the creation ofsoap andtoothpaste though the general task is to put food on the table.The scientists featured were:
*Vanessa Griffiths - a marine biologist who teaches
ecology for The Field Studies Council at Orielton Field Centre inPembrokeshire
*Anna Lewington - an ethnobotanist and an economic botanist, researching how people, and groups of people, use plants and how this is important to the societies in which they live
*Jonathan Hare - chemist, physicist, inventor and teacher
*Mike Leahy - virologist
*Mike Bullivant - organic photochemisteries 2
This series took place on the
Caribbean island ofCarriacou and featured five scientists, including three (Mike Leahy, Mike Bullivant, and Jonathan Hare) from the first series. It had six episodes and many challenges.
# Mapping it Out: Make amap of the island,paper andink for the map, and a device to record sounds.
# Bugs and Barometers: Anantiseptic lotion, amicroscope , and aweather station .
# Time and Transmitters: Aradio , aclock , and a kite.
# Feel the Heat: Afreezer ,thermometer , andsunscreen .
# Sun and Sea: A lamp that could function underwater, and to generateelectrical energy to charge up a battery.
# The Science of Celebration: Musical instruments and fireworks for a party.New scientists featured in this series were:
*
Kathy Sykes - ascience communicator and physicist
*Ellen McCallie - an ecologist and teacherAnna Lewington and Vanessa Griffiths from the first series were not featured in this series.
eries 3
This series took place on the west coast of the south island of
New Zealand , had six episodes, and featured the same scientists as the previous series.
# Gold Rush: Collectgold from a river, build ametal detector , and construct a super-accurate balance.
# Shakers: Build an automatic panning machine, createdcosmetics , and look for evidence ofearthquake s in trees.
# Quakers: Build a waterproof tent and a seismograph.
# Ice: Measure the speed and melting rate of aglacier , and keep themselves warm withoutfire s.
# Treasure Hunt: Build a device for measuringaltitude to assist them in finding gold, and extracted gold from rock.
# The Big Smelt: In the final episode of the series, they tried to smelt the gold they found and craft asouvenir from it.eries 4
This series took place at Darwin Mine, [cite web | last = McCallie | first = Ellen | title = Ellen's Rover Diary | url = http://www.pbs.org/weta/roughscience/series4/scientists/ellen/rover.html | accessdate = 2007-02-27 ] adjacent to
Death Valley National Park in California and had six episodes, all involvingspace exploration . Four scientists from the previous series (Ellen McCallie, Jonathan Hare, Mike Bullivant, and Kathy Sykes) were featured plus a new scientist,Iain Stewart , the show's first geologist. Mike Leahy from the previous series was not featured in this series.
# Rover: The primary challenge of the first episode was to build arover , while the team also found a way of purifying anywater that they found in the desert.
# Communication: In the second episode, they were challenged to send a communication in a way that didn't rely purely onsound (this was achieved by altering the vibrations of reflectedsunlight , which was then detected by a transistor functioning as a light detector), and make apen that would work in zero gravity.
# Spacesuit: In the third episode, they were challenged to design a cooling system for aspacesuit .
# Impact: In the fourth episode they attempted to measure the size of the meteor that createdBarringer Meteor Crater . Iain and Kathy traveled to Arizona to see the crater. Mike stayed behind, and experimented with impact. Jonathan and Ellen set off to make a telescope, using an eyepiece and mirror they found in the chest given to them at the start of the episode. their task was to actually measure the size of a crater on the moon.
# Aerial Surveyor: In the fifth episode, they were asked to built a device with a camera that could survey a large area from the air. They were also asked to find the center of one of the largest earthquakes to hit America that took place back in 1872 in California, and estimate what it measured on theRichter scale . Mike was given the task of creating a system that could filter carbon dioxide, just as theastronaut s ofApollo 13 were forced to do when an explosion ruptured an oxygen tank.
# Rocket: In the sixth episode they were challenged to designrocket s that could launch an egg into the air and return it safely to earth. Three different rockets were attempted by three of the scientists, while the remaining two worked on a parachute system.eries 5
This series took place on the coast of
Zanzibar and had a strong ecological theme running through the challenges. The line-up of scientists was Ellen McCallie, Jonathan Hare, Mike Bullivant, and Kathy Sykes. The episode challenges for this series are:# Shipwrecked - The scientists need to design and build a
submersible exploration vehicle to explore a shipwreck, determine when low tide occurs for the best chance at getting to the wreck, and how to purify the scientists' water supply.
# Lost at Sea - Building a distress flare, making an emergency flotation device, creating a warning light activated by seawater.
# Call of the Wild - Constructing an underwaterhydrophone , an underwater viewing device, creatingmosquito repellent.
# To the Lighthouse - Building alighthouse by creating a light source visible from great distances while at sea, as well as creating the lighthouse infrastructure and making the light flash.
# The Reef - Creating a system to protect acoral reef by alerting approaching boats that they're entering a protected area.
# Beneath the Waves - Building a SCUBA device that can safely be used to a depth of 5 meters and still provide freedom for exploration.eries 6
This series, shown in
2005 , takes place in theSan Juan Mountains inColorado . For this series, geomorphologistHermione Cockburn replaced Kathy Sykes. Challenges included making a fire extinguisher (using CO2), cleaning up the pollution of a stream by metals coming from a mine and making sunglasses (by melting sand).# Power - The scientists need to supply
electricity andnatural gas to their basecamp, located in an old mill.
# Safety - Building afire extinguisher and a water treatment plant.
# Mountain - Calculating the height and weight of a mountain, as well as making sunglasses to protect the eyes at high altitudes.
# Clean - Building awashing machine with washingsoap , and creatingantiperspirants anddeodorants .
# Mine - Detectingradioactive rocks andflammable gases, and creating a generator to power anelectric lamp .
# Photos - Taking and developing aphotograph , and delivering it by hydrogen balloon.Channels
*Rough Science was originally shown by the
BBC .
*Series 1-4 has been shown onPBS .
*Discovery Science (UK) has shown all six series.External links
* [http://www.open2.net/roughscience/index.html Official website for the series]
* [http://www.ukgameshows.com/index.php/Rough_Science UK Gameshows Page: "Rough Science"]
* [http://www.creative-science.org.uk/ Jonathan Hare's Creative Science Center]
* [http://www.vega.org.uk/schools/details/4 Jonathan Hare's work with the Vega Science Trust] Freeview Science Programmes
* [http://www.pbs.org/weta/roughscience/ PBS website for the series]Notes
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