About the Speak Up for Science Buchanan Fellowship

In spring 2026, Buchanan Library Fellows took a deep dive into the Vanderbilt Television News Archive (TVNA) and other library resources to learn more about how scientific discovery and its impact on modern society has been covered by U.S. broadcast news. The inspiration for this fellowship came from the Vanderbilt program in Communication of Science and Technology’s Speak Up for Science initiative, which showcases how federal funding has catalyzed Vanderbilt scientists’ research.

After brainstorming as a group, each fellow decided on an aspect of scientific discovery or policy on which to focus their project. As it happened, all three fellows were interested in exploring how drugs, both controlled and illicit, have been covered by U.S. television news over time. Fellows looked through other resources, including scholarly articles and public opinion polls, to develop a video telling the story of their research. The final projects for the exhibit Speak Up for Science: Investigating Media Coverage of Scientific Discovery in the Vanderbilt Television News Archive were shared at the end-of-semester showcase and will be published on the McGee Center website.