Professor Heads to Los Angeles, Gets Science in Movies

February 5, 2009

Malcolm MacIver: teacher, researcher, and now — Hollywood consultant?

MacIver, assistant professor of biomedical and mechanical engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University, left his lab for Los Angeles recently in hopes of bringing good science to the silver screen.

MacIver met with the writers and developers of Tron 2 — a sequel to the 1980s cult classic Tron, in which computer programmers are transported inside a computer to battle a dictator-like Master Control program — to help develop a storyline that incorporates accurate science and revolutionary research.

MacIver’s expertise was provided through a new program called the Science and Entertainment Exchange, which aims to connect top scientists and engineers with writers, producers and directors in the entertainment industry to “help bring the reality of cutting-edge science to creative and engaging storylines.”

Through the exchange, scientists act as more than just fact checkers who tell writers and producers when they misplace stars in the sky or overstate the possibility of getting dinosaur DNA from mosquitoes trapped in amber.

“We get in on the scriptwriting phase, in the development phase,” MacIver says.

So MacIver, along with four other scientists from California Institute of Technology, spent time brainstorming ideas with the Tron 2 team. Though the actual storyline is under wraps, MacIver did say that they offered advice on how to make certain aspects of the story convincing.

“I think we as scientists and researchers can contribute a lot to storytelling,” he says. “They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and a lot of us, the research we work on, would be great grist in the narrative mill. Plus we know the laws of science, so when there are irregularities in movies, we can make sure they’re there not because of a mistake but because of dramatic effect.”

Now that President Barack Obama stated in his inaugural address that he will “restore science to its rightful place,” MacIver hopes that scientists can shed their nerdy images and show people the wonder behind science and research.

“It would do us good, as a society, to have science celebrated more,” he said.

MacIver says he’s already been in talks to help consult on another project — though until the deal is done, he’s not saying a word. That’s Hollywood for you.


- Emily Ayshford