Tor/Forge Books and NASA Jointly Announce Publishing Collaboration

[james_davis_nicoll]

Found in my mailbox, qwp:

NEW YORK, NY (August 23, 2011) - In an effort to educate and encourage math and
science education Tor/Forge Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, and
NASA have embarked on a collaboration to publish a series of science based,
commercial fiction books, referred to as "NASA inspired Works of Fiction" around
concepts pertinent to the current and future work of NASA. NASA will allow existing
and new Tor/Forge authors to team up with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC)
Subject Matter Experts (SME) to create scientifically accurate and entertaining
novels in a distinctly unique way.

Tor/Forge and NASA hope that pairing scientists and engineers with the imprints'
award-winning roster of writers will raise awareness and inspire the study of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), in line with the
President's Technology Agenda. They also hope to contribute towards the goal of
attracting and retaining students in the above fields, thereby strengthening NASA
and the nation's future workforce in a compelling manner.

"When I was a boy, books by Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein and their colleagues
excited me, inspiring a lifelong fascination with space and the science and
technology that would get us there," said Tom Doherty. "From Fulton and his
steamboat, through Alexander Graham Bell and Edison, to Silicon Valley and the
advent of the internet, innovative Americans have built a future in which we lead
the world."

GSFC's Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) Office will host a select group of
Tor/Forge authors - some of whom already write science based fiction - to learn more
about science and space exploration. Authors will visit GSFC for a two day workshop
in November consisting of presentations, facility tours and one-on-one sessions with
SMEs. NASA contributions to the project will also provide access to their data,
facilities, and educational design and evaluation experts.
"Ultimately this agreement will benefit taxpayers as we look for innovative ways to
train students for the science challenges of the future," said Nona Cheeks, Chief of
GSFC's IPP Office, which is managing the project's implementation.

The enormous popularity of science fiction is a key element in this collaboration to
make these NASA inspired Works of Fiction a gateway to reach the general public and
to generate awareness of the significant role NASA plays in everyday lives. Many
people who work in the fields of science and technology credit science fiction as a
significant inspiration for their career choice.

"It is my hope that in working with NASA in the creation of new stories of science
and discovery we will inspire the next generation of explorers and inventors,
because it all starts with the imagination - with stories and dreams of better
things to come," said Doherty.

###
About Tor and Forge Books
Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, is a New York-based publisher
of hardcover and softcover books, founded in 1980 and committed (although not
limited) to arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction and
fantasy ever produced by a single English-language publisher. Tom Doherty
Associates, LLC, is also the home of award-winning Forge Books, founded in 1993 and
committed (although not limited) to thrillers, mysteries, historical fiction and
general fiction. Forge includes books by bestselling and critically acclaimed
authors such as Douglas Preston, Eric Van Lustbader, W. Bruce Cameron and Former
Secretary of Defense, William S. Cohen. Together, the imprints garnered 20 New York
Times bestsellers in 2010.

For more information about NASA and this project contact Enidia Santiago-Arce at
301.286.8497, Enidia.Santiago-Arce@nasa.gov<mailto:enidia.santiago-arce@nasa.gov>

Comments

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

I really need to get around to blogging about my recent foray into Technical Advising.

[seawasp]

And I anticipate the wave of the future with my NASA consultants on both Boundary and Threshold! :)

[asyouknow-bob.livejournal.com]

...have embarked on a collaboration to publish a series of science based,
commercial fiction books, referred to as "NASA inspired Works of Fiction"...


That's a really good idea.
They could call it something catchier, though; maybe something like, oh, "scientifiction".

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Hmm. What about people who already are NASA SMEs and also write fiction? Should they be invited twice?

[scott-sanford.livejournal.com]

There should be extra pay involved, at least.