This grant funds a project by Anne Bowser, Director of Innovation at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, to conduct a comprehensive review of the use of low-cost, including open source, hardware in scientific research. Open hardware refers to the licensing of the design specifications of a physical object in such a way that the described object can be created, modified, used, or distributed by anyone. Open hardware sensors or other instruments present an attractive opportunity to expand the frontiers of scientific research by dramatically lowering the costs of instrumentation. Despite this promise there is, as yet, no comprehensive account of the full range of low-cost and open source hardware solutions; how hardware is being used by researchers and public policy communities; what, if any problems have arisen for those using open hardware related to data quality, governance, and standards; and what institutions and norms are needed to encourage adoption. Bowser and her team will conduct a wide-ranging review of low-cost hardware and the open hardware movement, combining broad landscape synthesis and convenings with commissioned reports on critical issues like data quality, governance, and the relationship between open hardware and other open paradigms.

The Jupyter notebook is a popular, open source, Python-powered computing platform originally designed to allow researchers to easily execute, annotate, and share computationally sophisticated research. Since its launch, however, some researchers have discovered the notebook can also be used as an effective platform for the creation and sharing of textbooks, articles, lecture series, and other educational resources. Because the Jupyter system was not originally designed with this use-case in mind, modules and other add-ons need to be developed to streamline it as a pedagogical tool. This grant funds a collaborative project by John Stachurski, Greg Caporaso, and Chris Holdgraf to build a generic publishing workflow on top of the core Jupyter system that will simplify its use in producing educational materials.

Funds from this grant continue a partnership with the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) to promote the development and release of science-themed films and support filmmakers who explore scientific or technological themes in their work. Each year, the TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund issues an open call for new and established filmmakers to submit science-themed film treatments, finished screenplays, or works-in-progress. After a rigorous independent review process, two to six projects are selected each year for support. Winning projects receive between $10,000 and $75,000 to help usher the project toward completion. In addition, winners receive year-round support from TFI, including mentorship, workshops, readings, inclusion in the annual TFI Network market, a professionally produced ТsizzleУ reel to bolster promotion and engagement with funded projects, and arranged industry meetings. TFI also hosts a highly publicized and well-attended screening and panel discussion of a science-themed film at the Tribeca Film Festival each year along with an associated reception. Last, TFI operates an Alumni Discretionary Fund that provides microgrants of up to $5,000 to previously supported projects, providing a critical intervention that helps ensure supported projects are continuing to move toward production and release. This grant supports these and related activities for a period of two years.

This grant continues a Sloan partnership with the Sundance Film Institute for a series of initiatives that promote the development, production, and distribution of science-themed films. Annual initiatives include the Sloan Commissioning Fellowship, which is awarded to a screenwriter or producer to support the development of an early-stage science-themed project. The award includes a $25,000 cash grant, a stipend for a science advisor and research, mentorship, and year-round staff support from Sundance. The Sloan Development Fellowship in the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program supports the participation of a filmmaker and his or her science-themed script in the Screenwriters Lab, Screenwriters Intensive, or Creative Producing Summit. Winners participate in the Feature Film Fellows track at the Sundance Film Festival and are eligible for additional Feature Film Program labs. The fellowship also includes a $15,000 cash grant to support the development of the project, including funds for scientific mentoring and advice. The Sloan Episodic Story Fellowship supports a writer with an early-stage, science-themed episodic project developed for television, streaming, or other platforms. It includes a $10,000 cash grant to support the development of the project, a stipend for a science advisor, and mentorship and other support from Sundance staff. The Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize is awarded by a jury of esteemed filmmakers and scientists to the writer and director of an outstanding feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer, or mathematician as a major character. The award is presented at a reception at the annual Sundance Film Festival and comes with a $20,000 cash prize. Last, the Science-in-Film Forum is a moderated panel discussion, open to all Sundance participants, featuring independent filmmakers and leading scientists and technologists who discuss compelling topics relevant to the depiction of science and technology in film and television. Grant funds support these initiatives and additional outreach, publicity, and administrative costs for a period of two years.

This grant supports a series of activities by SFFILM, the organization that hosts the annual San Francisco Film Festival, to nurture, develop, and champion films that explore scientific or technological themes and characters. Supported activities include the awarding of two $35,000 Sloan Science in Cinema Fellowships each year to promising feature film or episodic screenwriters who are exploring scientific or technological themes in their work. SFFILM also gives an annual award, the Sloan Science in Cinema Prize, to the best science-themed feature film submitted to the San Francisco Film Festival and promotes the winning film at the festival with a ceremony, screening, post-screening panel, and reception. SFFILM also compiles a yearly Sloan Stories of Science Sourcebook, which includes the best science stories and the most up-to-date scientific discoveries of the year and offers awards to two filmmakers who can develop original scripts based on these stories or ideas. Lastly, SFFILM partners with the Black List to identify promising science-themed scripts and bring them to the attention of developers, producers, and other film industry executives. Grant funds support these activities and associated operational costs for the next two years.

This grant provides two years of continued support for the Coolidge Corner Theatre Science on Screen series, a grant program that helps independent theaters across the country pair current, classic, cult, and documentary film screenings with thoughtful introductions by notable figures from the fields of science, technology, and medicine. Grant funds will allow Coolidge to make 56 grants to independent theaters over the next two years, which will bring to over 100 the number of independent cinema houses across the country that participate in the program. Each theater in the Science on Screen series receives a grant of between $4,000 and $8,500 to facilitate three screenings a year with expert STEM speakers, at least one of which is a film developed or awarded a prize through the Sloan FoundationХs Film program. Additional grant funds support a National Week of Science on Screen in which all participating theaters hold coordinated screenings, an expanded two-year grant program for cinemas participating for the first time, and an alumni program that provides support at a reduced level for the programХs most committed cinemas. Other funds support marketing, promotion, and social media outreach designed to expand participation to theaters in all 50 U.S. states, and an ongoing presence at Arthouse Convergence, the largest annual gathering of independent cinema operators in the country.

This grant supports an ongoing initiative by Consumer Reports to empower consumer choices of products and services by conducting research, developing tools, and providing accurate, easy-to-understand reporting on how companies and products collect and use consumer data. Led by Justin Brookman, Director of Consumer Privacy and Technology Policy, Consumer Reports will engage researchers and technologists over the next two years to build tools and construct research methodologies to map the collection, manipulation, and sharing of consumer data across three pivotal industries: the Internet of Things (devices in our homes, such as smart thermostats and other internet-connected appliances); automobiles (geolocation data, sensors); and data brokers (second and third parties who collect and sell information about consumers). Grant funds will support a series of dedicated fellowships for technologists and other digital experts who will help create new tools and research methodologies with the goal of creating state-of-the-art testing capacity that Consumer Reports will use to generate insights into how companies and products in these three spaces collect and use data. These insights will then be made public through Consumer ReportsХ impartial, evidence-driven journalism, which will aim both to improve consumersХ ability to choose products effectively and create incentives for market participants in these industries to improve and make more transparent their data collection and use policies. К

Consumer 101 is an educational TV show, launched in 2018 and produced by Consumer Reports, that Тgives viewers a behind-the-scenes look into the science used to test every kind of product, from cars and smart televisions to payment apps and food.У Broadcast on NBC on Saturday morning and targeting 13- to 16-year-olds, the show aims to help teens turn themselves into smart consumers by showing them how things work, revealing tips to get the most out of everyday items, and providing them a window into unexpected career paths in science and technology. The show has reached an audience of over one million viewers. Funds from this grant support the production and broadcast of 10 segments of Consumer 101 focused on digital privacy and security. Possible topics include smartphone security, targeted ads and search protection, smart speakers, password managers, app permissions, online privacy traps, privacy solutions, and deleting old accounts on services one no longer uses. Additional grant funds will support promotion and outreach efforts for the produced segments on traditional and social media.

This grant funds work by Paul Ziemann, professor of chemistry at the University of Colorado, to investigate the sources and processes that influence the composition of organic chemicals in indoor environments and to improve predictions of the chemistry of indoor air. Ziemann and his team will conduct field studies in several locations on and around the University of Colorado campus. Study sites have been chosen to reflect the diversity of indoor environments: a carpeted meeting room in the Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Community building; the Chapel Theatre in Old Main, which is the oldest building on campus and which contains extensive wooden paneling; and the swimming pool at the universityХs recreation center. State-of-the-art instruments and methods will be used to measure organic chemicals and other reactive species at each site. Measurements will include gas (volatile organic compounds and other trace gases), aerosols, surface composition (functional groups and single compounds), and air exchange. Laboratory studies will be conducted to investigate the fundamental interactions of organic chemicals with surfaces composed of common indoor materials, including bare plastics, bare wood, varnished wood, and carpet polymers. Results of the field and laboratory studies will be used to develop models to describe and quantify indoor chemical emissions, deposition, and reactions; and to determine the effects of chemical and physical variables such as organic gases, oxidants, surfaces, humidity, acids, light and temperature, and human occupancy on the composition of indoor air.

Funds from this grant support an ongoing project led by Marina Vance, assistant professor of mechanical and environmental engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Delphine Farmer, associate professor of chemistry at Colorado State University, to build community and data infrastructure for researchers working in indoor chemistry. Over the course of the grant period, Vance and Farmer will develop a data sharing infrastructure for indoor chemistry studies, merge and synthesize data collected from the HOMEChem field experiment with additional chemical datasets, further analyze that data, plan and host a scientific meeting for researchers in the Chemistry of Indoor Environment program, and continue outreach and community building among indoor chemistry researchers through the IndoorChem website and social media properties.