CAIRO: The Society of Physics Students (SPS) at The American University in Cairo (AUC) recently launched Cosmos Radio, the first science radio station in Egypt and the Arab world. The idea behind Cosmos Radio is to make science easily accessible to the public. “People are more likely to listen to a radio station than to read scientific material, particularly if the shows are appealing and interesting," said Taha Selim, physics student and president of SPS. “We try to present our programs in funny and attractive ways, and we attempt to simplify science to ordinary people." The three-member Cosmos Radio team used AUC labs, solicited input from freelance contributors, particularly university students and spent countless nights at AUC Tahrir Square preparing material for their innovative programs. These include Aristotle's Kitchen, a comic feature that introduces listeners to the history of science, as well as scientific models and formulas, by likening them to cooking recipes; and Breakfast with Einstein, which is composed of a dialogue with Einstein to explain his theories in a simplified and easy manner, shedding light on his contributions to science. The station commenced its streaming by covering the landing of NASA's space shuttle, Curiosity, on Mars. The space-exploration breakthrough was streamed along with a lecture from Cosmos's distinguished guest, Essam Heggy, professor and planetary scientist at NASA. “We want people in Egypt to understand and explore phenomena happening around them using the scientific method," said Selim. “When people think in a scientific way, they are likely to be more rational, methodical and exercise sound judgment." The Cosmos team promotes its work through word of mouth and social media. “Our programs are regularly posted to social networking websites, and we try to establish connections with student bodies in other universities to publicize our production," said Selim. The idea began when the SPS team achieved great success with the six theatrical performances they produced on campus in Spring 2012 to explain the history and theories of physics in a new, engaging way. The performances, which included Physics Story, Gloomy Physicist, Aliens, Parallel Universes, Gravity Phone and Time Machine, tackled a diverse range of issues related to the field, from the Hot Big Bang Model, gravity and the universe to light, mobile theory, and action and reaction. Between these shows and other activities, such as lectures, media workshops, community summer programs and meals that the students hosted with prominent scientists, the team's events were attended by more than 3,000 people, which affirmed the public interest in such educational events. “Physics is the mother of all sciences; it is a way of understanding the universe," said Selim. “Modern civilization and all the devices we use now are based on physics concepts. It is often thought that physics is difficult and needs geniuses to crack it. Our aim is to help people gain an in-depth understanding of this science and its intricacies so they know how things work in our everyday lives using physics concepts. They will end up loving physics and appreciating it as the fundamental science of nature." To make it more appealing, productions now incorporate music and drama to attract more audience. “Our future plans include producing a radio drama series that discusses scientific topics and launching a new program, Reading a Book, which will provide synopses of interesting scientific books written in Arabic."
