How do you make science hip? Roll out a red carpet and throw an event that some have called the Oscars of science.
That was the scene in California last night at an awards show honoring breakthroughs in science.
“The big goal here is to treat and honor scientists in the way they should be recognized by society," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg tells CNN’s Dan Simon.
The idea first came from Russian billionaire and technology investor Yuri Milner, who says he wanted to inspire young people to follow in these scientists footsteps.
“He convinced his Silicon Valley friends, including Zuckerberg and Google Co-Founder, Sergey Brin to fund the event. Each winner-seven of them in all- getting $3M each, making it the most lucrative award in science," Simon reports.
I was so happy when I heard you were covering this story and loved Chris Cuomo's response to it, but the irony is that YOU FAILED TO EVEN NAME ONE OF THE SCIENTIST BY NAME!!! I as appalled by this oversight, so much for treating them like Hollywood Stars...except you will not even tell us who they are. A horrendous missed opportunity to really make this story about the scientists and not about what a good idea Mark Zuckerberg and his buddies had.
If the goal of these awards are to "elevate scientists to celebrities" then why were none of the honored scientists named in the video or article? Big fail, CNN!