2003 Science in Society Journalism Awards

Television

John Rubin

“Clone”

CNBC-National Geographic Explorer

Description:

John Rubin of CNBC-National Geographic Explorer won for “Clone” in the television category. His in-depth look at the issue of cloning discussed how we might one day resurrect extinct species, grow replacement organs, and possibly make duplicates of ourselves. Judges found the entry “created a coherent picture from the complex subject’s many facets — cloning to make copies of people, cloning to create spare parts for aging bodies, cloning to boost the food supply, and cloning to resurrect extinct animals and dead pets. In addition to discussing the potential cost of such efforts, the producers’ intimate access to the research gave viewers a front-row seat as discoveries unfolded — unscripted — before the cameras.” Judges also said Rubin “encapsulated the many complex issues in a comprehensive, imaginative way” and &#quot;picked stories of real people who would be affected by cloning.”

Biography:

John Rubin is head of John Rubin Productions in Cambridge, Mass. Rubin is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker who turned to documentaries after completing his Ph.D. at MIT. Rubin makes science and natural history films, often finding a way to blend the two genres.

After completing his doctorate in the field of cognitive science, Rubin was awarded a Mass Media Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This Fellowship allowed him to spend a summer at the Chedd-Angier Production Company in Massachusetts. Rubin subsequently spent two years at the company working on Annenberg telecourses.

Rubin next worked at KCET in Los Angeles, writing and producing science shorts as well as long-form films. Rubin was lead writer and producer of “Inside Information,” an hour-long special about why researchers study the mind as if it were a kind of computer. Rubin won many awards for Inside Information, including an Emmy (Los Angeles Area Awards, 1990, for best science documentary) and a National Psychology Award for Excellence in Television from the American Psychological Association. Rubin has a second L.A. Emmy for producing work on a series of three half-hour programs entitled “Science and Society.”

From KCET, Rubin moved to WQED West, where he produced “Insects: The Ruling Class” for the PBS series “The Infinite Voyage.” Rubin was next lured to Washington, D.C. by National Geographic Television, where he became the first staff producer in the Natural History Unit (NHU). Rubin also produced the National Geographic Special, “Sea Monsters: Search for the Giant Squid.” After being promoted to supervising producer in the NHU, Rubin won an Emmy for his work on “King Cobra.”

Rubin left National Geographic to form the Massachusetts-based company Rubin Tarrant Productions with Anne Tarrant. A Los Angeles native, Rubin is an avid backpacker, sea kayaker, and scuba diver who does his best to dodge a significant portion of each Massachusetts winter.

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