AMC Networks’ branded content unit Content Room has created new Ad Council public service announcements that goes behind the scenes of The Walking Dead to encourage girls to get into science and technology. 

The spots features Walking Dead director Aisha Tyler, costume designer Vera Chow and art director Jasmine Garnet talking with 16-year-old inventor Gitanjali Rao about the science involved in bringing zombies to the small screen.

The PSAs, launching Wednesday, are part of the Ad Council’s national She Can STEM campaign. In addition to TV spots, the campaign includes videos created for TikTok and Instagram.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Ad Council to inspire young girls in STEM through the unexpected backdrop of The Walking Dead,” said Kim Granito, executive VP of AMC Networks Content Room.

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"Over the last 11 years, this universe has been created by an array of insanely talented women that utilize STEM every day in their roles. This campaign will broaden perceptions of  STEM beyond the stereotypes of lab coats and beakers, and hopefully inspire the next generation of talented women in STEM. Aisha Tyler, Vera Chow and Jasmine Garnet were a dream to work with and their shared enthusiasm for this mission is inspiring,” Granito said.

Since the launch of She Can STEM in September 2018, the campaign has been supported by a variety of corporate, non-profit and media partners. She Can STEM aims to dismantle the intimidating perceived barrier of STEM fields by showing girls, non-binary youth, and trans youth how fun, messy, diverse and accessible STEM can be, encouraging them to dive in, no matter where they are in their STEM journey.

“Careers in STEM are varied and can touch all aspects of our lives. We are proud to partner with AMC Networks Content Room on this latest work for the She Can STEM campaign. With it, we hope to inspire young girls, non-binary youth, and trans youth to recognize that their passion for STEM can impact countless industries – including the entertainment industry,” said Michelle Hillman, chief campaign development officer at the Ad Council. ■

The anchors from NBCs Today show appear in a new public service announcement supporting girls pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) that will debut on Sunday before the Super Bowl.

The PSA, featuring Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, Craig Melvin and Carson Daly, is part of the Ad Council’s "She Can STEM" campaign.

In the spot Guthrie daydreams about herself and her fellow anchors in school together, thinking about what they want to be when they grow up.

The PSA also features STEM role models Tiffany Kelly, Mitu Khandaker and Karina Popovich, who are part of the AAAS IF/Then Ambassadors Program that encourages more young women to explore careers in science and technology.

“So many kids start off with big dreams, dreams that can help our world be more innovative, collaborative and cutting edge, but then they get discouraged along the way,” said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “With the She Can STEM campaign we can show girls, non-binary youth, and trans youth that their passion in STEM can become a reality. We are so grateful for this extraordinary collaboration.”

The new PSA will debut between noon and 3 p.m. ET on NBC during Super Bowl Sunday. NBCUniversal donated airtime for the 30-second spot to air two times. Additionally, Today will feature the PSA in segments on Friday before the game and Monday, including a behind-the-scenes “making of the PSA” segment.

“We are honored to partner with the Ad Council and shine a spotlight on the impact of empowering girls and diverse individuals in their STEM journey. By combining compassion, creativity and credibility, this mission will be showcased on the biggest stage for millions of people across the country tuning in on Super Bowl Sunday,” said Linda Yaccarino, chair of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal and current Board Chair of the Ad Council. “NBCUniversal is committed to reflecting diverse voices, representation, and action in our content and work with advertisers to bring that trusted content to our viewers. All over the world, what we share shapes culture, entertains people and informs them of today’s most critical topics.” 

The Ad Council worked with ad agency Deloitte Digital to create the PSA. ■

The Senate has passed the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) (formerly the Endless Frontier Act), which, among many other things, attempts to diversify and better secure the 5G supply chain by backing alternatives to Chinese tech suppliers Huawei and ZTE. It now heads to the House.

Among those other things would be investment in the telecommunications workforce, improve STEM education, and promote agency coordination on R&D.

Passage was greeted by bipartisan cheers, though with some caveats.

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“Over the past three months, I have heard from dozens of stakeholders at every level of the semiconductor supply chain and customer base that we need smart, strategic investments to shore up our domestic supply chain and bolster U.S. leadership — and we need them now," said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. "Today, the Senate took a critical bipartisan step forward to make the investments we need to continue America’s legacy as a global leader in innovation. I applaud the Senators from both parties who came together to get this done. This funding isn’t just about addressing the current semiconductor chip shortage, it is about long-term investments in semiconductor manufacturing and research and development to enhance our economic and national security, strengthen American competitiveness and create good-paying jobs. I urge the House to take up this critical legislation as quickly as possible.”

“America is at our best when we are innovating, competing and exploring,” said Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). “Today’s Senate vote is a major step towards building the R&D capacity we need to seize the promise of an Information Age. This bipartisan vote is a huge boost to our innovation ecosystem that will help us keep pace with our competitors.”

"America’s innovation in semiconductors undergirds our entire innovation economy. A wide array of products – from planes and automobiles to household appliances and small ‘smart’ devices – rely on these chips, and demand is only growing. But for too long, the U.S. has allowed competitors like China to out-invest us. No more," said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who backed the 5G provision. 

"This bill makes a major, $52 billion investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing, which will create good-paying jobs in America while maintaining our global innovation edge,” said Warner. “I am encouraged that this bill passed the Senate today on a broadly bipartisan basis, and strongly encourage our colleagues in the House to take it up and send it to the President’s desk without delay.”

“We are encouraged that the Senate has made U.S. competitiveness and technological innovation a priority with an emphasis on AI and other emerging and critical technologiesm," said Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) VP Arthur Sidney. "However, late amendments to this critical bill may prove unworkable or counterproductive for U.S. industry. Thus, we welcome the opportunity to work with the House to improve this legislation and refocus it to help American innovation flourish."

"To remain competitive on the international stage, the United States must prioritize and continue to expand its investments in research, development, and technological advancement," said ITI President Jason Oxman. "The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act takes important steps to expand U.S. innovation leadership, including key measures to help build a strong ecosystem for developing advanced technologies and creating new jobs in communities across the country. We are pleased that the bill, in particular, provides robust funding for the CHIPS for America Act to boost domestic semiconductor production, which is essential for our economic and national security..."

“The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act would help position the United States a step ahead of China in science and technology,” said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), ranking member of Commerce Committee. “The legislation includes numerous bills and amendments that I sponsored to ensure all areas of the country receive a fair opportunity to participate in federally funded R&D and to protect American research and intellectual property from foreign theft.”

"This important legislation will support U.S. ingenuity for years to come, including new wireless network technologies that DISH is eager to bring to life for the American people," said Jeff Blum, EVP of external and legislative affairs at DISH. "The critical funding to promote and deploy Open RAN innovation from Senator Warner and Senator Rubio’s USA Telecommunications Act will spur American job creation, diversify the telecom equipment supply chain, enhance network security and boost our nation’s efforts to lead the global race to 5G (and beyond).

The bipartisan leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee has introduced a bill to update the government's tech ed program. 

The bill, the Advanced Technological Manufacturing Act, would reauthorize the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program but also retool it given that COVID-19 has put an exclamation point on the need for more high tech workers in a world having to connect remotely. 

"This legislation would spur economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic by developing a workforce prepared to fill roles in advanced technological sectors," said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairman of the Committee, who joined with ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) to introduce the bill. 

Cantwell said the idea is to spur STEM education, particularly with the community colleges and technical colleges that have "led the way," in STEM. 

The bill would direct the National Science Foundation to reestablish pilot programs expanding the number of colleges and universities that can compete for NSF grants. 

The bill also does some linguistic housekeeping, changing the language in the program from "scientific and educational content" to STEM. 

Cartoon Network has created an advisory board to guide the channel's efforts to its promote STEAM education (STEM plus the arts) efforts.

As part of a three-year White House push to promote computer science education, Cartoon Network last January launched a $30 million initiative to get kids interested in computer codes and coding.

The network's new STEAM advisory board was billed as the latest initiative in that effort, others being teaming with MIT, DIY and Google to promote using computer coding to "express ideas, craft stories and make art."

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Named to the advisory board were DIY CEO Zach Klein; National Girls Collaborative CEO Karen Peterson; Mitch Resnick, a professor at MIT Media Lab; and Diana Skaar, head of business innovation for robotics at X (formerly Google[x]); and Mimi Ito, digital media professor at University of California Irvine.

“Cartoon Network’s unparalleled multiplatform reach uniquely positions us to meet kids where they are and find new ways to unlock their creativity through technology,” said Christina Miller, president of Cartoon Network, in announcing the board. “Now, with the leadership of this incredible group of dedicated visionaries, we will accelerate and expand our reach, fulfilling our goal of giving Plurals creative confidence to become the next generation of creators, animators and makers.”

An app that New York City, among other metros, should look into was named Fan Favorite in Verizon's fourth annual Innovative App Challenge. POP, designed with urban and suburban communities in mind, aims to "Protect Our Parks," enabling citizens to send real-time alerts to city park officials when they spot needed clean-ups, repairs or other issues.

Interested city governments would have to negotiate with a tough crew, however: a team of students from Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Wyandotte, Mich. The Fan Favorite developers (based on 150,000 votes cast) were recognized last week alongside eight Best in Nation teams for creating mobile app concepts that aimed to solve a problem (like dirty or unsafe parks) in their schools or communities.

The winning teams – selected by a panel of judges assembled by the Student Technology Association – now get to work with experts from the MIT Media Lab to bring their concepts to fruition. They also earned donations of $20,000 to their sponsoring organization from the Verizon Foundation, to be used for STEM-related programs. The 2016 Innovative App Challenge begins in August.

In another STEM-driven program announced by a media company last week, Cartoon Network said it is launching a $30 million initiative to get kids interested in computer coding. The network will create STEM-inspired storylines involving coders and coding for Powerpuff Girls and another series (to be named later) and will also produce coding tutorials for kids age 6-11 featuring the two series’ characters. Cartoon is creating the tutorials in partnership with Scratch, a project from the MIT Media Lab and the Scratch Foundation.

Cartoon’s initiative is among the privately funded projects surrounding a three-year White House push to promote computer science education. "We've been doing a large amount of work with Hollywood and other media around the portrayal of who does this [computer] work," U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith said. "Many young people are not aware that computer science was founded by a broad set of people..."

Like the creators of POP.

Separately, in a demonstration of the "local" in local systems, Comcast employees in Flint, Mich., have been distributing water filters and holding bottled water drives to provide clean drinking water to their neighbors affected by the community's lead contamination crisis. The MSO has about 127 employees working in Flint, including 58 who live in the city.

Since Jan. 25 the MSO's local Flint service center and some 80 field service technicians have been handing out state-provided water filters to residents; they collectively distributed about 600 filters within the first three days.

Additionally, in what Tom Collins, senior VP for Comcast's Heartland Region described in a blog post as a "full court press," Comcast is holding a bottled water drive among its 4,000 employees across Michgan, and company techs are delivering the donations to Flint. The hands-on efforts are being supported by special content on a newly created local On Demand channel called "Flint Water" as well as Comcast-produced PSAs.