More than 70 high school students were the beneficiaries of the media-making wisdom of NOVA in a new program that aims to empower youth in science journalism and filmmaking about local issues. The teens ultimately made their own films that NOVA has just posted online.

Digging into topics ranging from invasive species to packaging waste from online shopping to the impacts of sea level rise on cities, the students in NOVA Science Studio (NSS) learned the tools of the trade — how to do research, find experts, set up interviews, shoot and edit video, and importantly, how to fact-check.

“The wide range of the ways in which the students were thinking about climate change impacts was inspiring," said Ralph Bouquet, director of education and outreach for NOVA. “It’s such a good signal for what the future holds.”

This was the debut year for the program, which was piloted locally in Somerville and Boston in 2018 and virtually in 2021. Part of NOVA’s Climate Across America initiative, NSS collaborated with six high schools in two PBS communities — WHRO in Norfolk, Virginia, and WKAR in East Lansing, Michigan. Climate Across America is spotlighting how climate change affects communities across the U.S. and engaging audiences in productive dialogues about solutions.

The recently completed eight-month program is grounded in a newly created, six-unit curriculum that draws on NOVA resources such as the digital series Misinformation Nation and the film Decoding the Weather Machine. Educators across the country will soon be able to access the curriculum on PBS LearningMedia.

“NOVA Science Studio reflects our commitment to diversify the voices we hear in science communication and engage underrepresented youth in science journalism,” said Laura-Ashley Alegbeleye, program manager for NSS.

“The schools are very different from one another. We had a lot of diversity in the background of the students, the capability of the students and the resources of the schools,” she said. Some of the students were using the curriculum as part of a formal journalism course, others participated through after-school clubs.

The program was also an introduction to public media and its standards.

“We gave a lot of emphasis to the PBS editorial guidelines, to ensure that students learned how to verify facts and meet the highest standards for content,” said Bouquet.

“We learned to not change people’s opinion, just present the evidence,” said Kalob, a junior in Davison, Michigan. “We want to show them the facts and not tell people what to believe."

At the NSS closing ceremony, Julia Cort, co-executive producer of NOVA, congratulated the students. “We are so impressed with what you've accomplished — you have all been following the same process that our producers follow,” she said.

“Those kinds of research and communication skills are going to be really valuable to you all as you go forward no matter what path you take,” added Chris Schmidt, co-executive producer.

See a Michigan television report about the program here. Check out the student films on the NSS YouTube channel here.