Lights, camera, action! The History Channel will air an hour-long episode of Modern Marvels: Iron on August 14 at 9 p.m. EST, thanks to a couple of creative minds at the College of the Holy Cross. Rick Herrick, professor of chemistry at Holy Cross, was on board as a special consultant, providing his expertise and experience, and Jude Kelley, assistant professor of chemistry at the College, was also a consultant, performed experiments and is interviewed throughout the show.
The process started back in April with hours of phone conversations and dozens of e-mails between the producers and the professors.
“Initially there was the excitement of the possibility of being involved with the show,” explains Kelley. “Things were a bit uncertain until the shoot was scheduled, which thankfully came during the slight lull between graduation and the beginning of the summer research program.”
In May, they sent Jeff Cole, producer of the show, and a crew to shoot in Haberlin Hall. The shoot went from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“It was an exciting look into the way shows get made,” says Kelley. “The producer had some very specific shots in mind, and it took us a bit of time to capture the laboratory demonstrations in a way that could be edited for television. The project was a fun fusion of art and science, very much in line with the Holy Cross experience.”
Herrick agrees, understanding it is not all glitz and glamour. “When being filmed you have to do many takes and repeat your lines and make your movements exactly the same way for each take,” explains Herrick. “It is surprisingly difficult to do.”
He says you quickly realize that speaking and running a demonstration while being filmed is completely different than lecturing to students.
In the months after the shoot the professors still had a job to do. “We had a role in providing information used for animations, fact checking the final script, and fine tuning the narration,” says Kelley. “It was satisfying to have a bit of involvement with the different stages of the production, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera.”
The experience has also taught Kelley about the application of chemical methods to the study of geology, something he has already shared with his summer research students. In preparing for the shoot, they had to track down a number of different mineral specimens containing iron.
“During the summer research program, the Holy Cross students working in my research lab tested our newly constructed LIBS spectrometer on the various iron samples we used for the show,” says Kelley. “As a result of their efforts, Sara Mitchell, assistant professor of biology, and I plan on using the instrument in the lab portion of a geology course she is slated to teach.”
Herrick says he will incorporate this experience in the classroom. “I have a more comprehensive knowledge about iron and its importance in biology, chemistry, geology, physics, astronomy and also the importance of steel throughout history,” explains Herrick. “I plan to make use of this information in a variety of ways in the different classes I teach.”
Make sure to tune in to the History Channel on Thursday, Aug. 14 at 9 p.m. to catch the professors’ work in action — cut!
Related Information:
- Photo Gallery: Behind the scenes of Modern Marvels
- Integrated Science Complex
- Modern Marvels
- Read about Holy Cross in the News
