So what was Hawkeye Pierce, star of the television series *M*A*S*H, sitting with a helmet ringed with wires on his head? I came upon him, also known as Alan Alda when I saw the television show "Scientific American Frontiers." He was about to have his brain waves charted by a machine.
Alan Alda, film and television star, slim, handsome and looking younger than his 75 plus years, sat on a swivel chair, serving as an eager research subject about to learn how his brain worked. Then he wanted to explain it so that the information was understood by the public.
With his sense of humor and profound respect for science Alda wanted to teach scientists to become
capable communicators. He wanted to use the techniques he had learned from acting, directing and writing to inspire a greater interest in science.
He took what he called "a crazy idea" to universities around the country but found no interest except at Stony Brook University in New York. There he developed his ideas for a Center which became known as the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science.
Perhaps plain English and Alan Alda's "crazy idea" may be just what the doctor ordered to help people be less fearful of learning and science.
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