MSNBC's Alan Boyle took the podium for the 16th Alfred and Julia Hill Lecture on Science, Society and the Mass Media on Tuesday in the University Center's Shiloh Room. Boyle challenged the audience of students and faculty to keep science relevant in a culture of celebrity news.

Boyle's lecture, titled "Britney Spears vs. Chimps with Spears: Talking about Science in a Tabloid Culture" began by noting the shift that has taken place in the mass media. This shift from a newspaper culture toward an Internet and 24-hour news culture has brought with it a shift toward tabloid and celebrity news taking the front pages and primetime hours. 

The title of the lecture refers to the winter of 2007 when Britney Spears' newly shaved head was all over the news. At the same time scientists were discovering chimpanzees in Africa fashioning tiny spears out of sticks to hunt for food. Boyle noted that while Britney Spears gained the spotlight, this new scientific discovery was pushed back several weeks, only to see light within a larger story about animal behavior.

With a culture that just seeks news about "Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and other exotic primates," as Boyle put it, it is a challenge to science writers to keep their stories relevant.

Boyle also spoke about how many science writers shoot themselves in the foot by being irrelevant. He noted that many of these science stories give no relation to what we eat, wear or watch. But is the answer to this problem to throw tabloid hooks in every science story to make it appealing? Although the phrase has a negative connotation, Boyle seems to think it might be helpful in giving these stories an audience. If Britney Spears can get people reading about laser physics, that's not all bad, Boyle said.

Boyle also offered the audience a look at different statistics and graphs showing readership of science writing versus television as well as audience awareness of simple scientific facts. The general public seems to know little about simple science according to the results Boyle showed, offereing another challenge to science writers.

According to Boyle, science writers must remember to give a simple background to certain scientific information without dumbing down the actual story to the point of being mundane. He noted how story comments on his blog have helped him learn his audience better and cater to their presuppositions and beliefs when producing a story that may be divisive. 

On working in such a challenging field, Boyle said, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the autoclave."