"Our society has undergone a paradigm shift. In the information age, you
and I are the alpha males," Dr. Leonard Hofstadter, experimental
physicist and protagonist of the hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory,
assures himself and his fellow scientists. The success of this show and
similar works in American popular culture proves his point: Science has
finally discovered the formula for cool. This interdisciplinary study
examines how "cool," a key aesthetic and affective category in the
American imagination, informs contemporary representations of science
and technology. Analyzing selected audiovisual productions, Judith
Kohlenberger sheds light on the interaction between science and popular
culture, two pivotal sources for change in post-industrial America.