Shawn Lawrence Otto
Encyclopedia
Shawn Lawrence Otto is an author
, filmmaker, political strategist, speaker, science advocate, and screenwriter
and co-producer of the movie House of Sand and Fog.
near Marine on St. Croix
with his wife, Rebecca Otto
, the current Minnesota State Auditor
. Their home, called "Breezy" is passive solar, geothermal, wind-powered, and superinsulated. Otto designed it and the couple built it with their own hands. Otto's family founded the Republican Party of Minnesota
.
Otto is the immediate past (2009–2011) Board Chair of the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.
, Otto co-founded and became the CEO of the largest political initiative in the history of American science, the 125-million-strong Science Debate 2008
, which Barack Obama
and John McCain
participated in, marking the first time in history endorsed presidential candidates laid out science policies in detail before the election. The initiative made over 800 million media impressions.http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=56 The campaign was co-sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences
, the National Academy of Engineering
, the Institute of Medicine
, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, the Council on Competitiveness
, PBS Nova, and NOW on PBS, and its signers include over 170 major American universities and other leading organizations, over 100 university presidents, and dozens of Nobel laureates, all told [sic] representing over 125 million Americans of all parties, meaning over one in three Americans supports Shawn.
, on "Democracy in the Age of Science."http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=71 and has spoken at the United States National Academies
, the New York Academy of Sciences
, and the 2010 EuroScience Open Forum. He has also spoken about science and politics on National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation
: Science Friday" and on television and radio throughout the world.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, filmmaker, political strategist, speaker, science advocate, and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and co-producer of the movie House of Sand and Fog.
Bio
Otto lives on a hobby farmHobby farm
A hobby farm is a smallholding or small farm that is maintained without expectation of being a primary source of income. Some are merely to provide some recreational land, and perhaps a few horses for the family's children...
near Marine on St. Croix
Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota
Marine on St. Croix is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 689 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Minnesota State Highway 95 serves as a main...
with his wife, Rebecca Otto
Rebecca Otto
Rebecca Otto is the State Auditor of the U.S. state of Minnesota. She is affiliated with the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party . She also served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2003 – 2005 and on the Forest Lake School Board. Before entering politics, she was a science...
, the current Minnesota State Auditor
Minnesota State Auditor
The Minnesota State Auditor is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. State of Minnesota. The State Auditor is charged with overseeing more than $20 billion spent annually by local governments in Minnesota...
. Their home, called "Breezy" is passive solar, geothermal, wind-powered, and superinsulated. Otto designed it and the couple built it with their own hands. Otto's family founded the Republican Party of Minnesota
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
.
Otto is the immediate past (2009–2011) Board Chair of the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.
Works
- Otto is the screenwriter and coproducer of House of Sand and Fog which starred Ben KingsleyBen KingsleySir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
and Jennifer ConnellyJennifer ConnellyJennifer Lynn Connelly is an American film actress, who began her career as a child model. She appeared in magazine, newspaper and television advertising, before making her motion picture debut in the 1984 crime film Once Upon a Time in America...
and garnered three Academy Award Nominations. - Otto is writer and director of Dreams of a Dying Heart, being produced by Killer FilmsKiller FilmsKiller Films is a New York City-based independent film production company founded by American movie producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler in 1995...
and The Bank Agent, being produced by New Globe Films. - Otto's book 'Fool Me Twice: Fighting The Assault On Science In America' is published by Rodale Books, and received starred reviews from both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly.http://www.shawnotto.com/foolmetwice.html
- Otto's blog, Neorenaissance, is at http://neorenaissance.org/ , his personal website is http://shawnotto.com , and he blogs regularly on Huffington Post.
- Otto's work has been published in Science MagazineScience MagazineScience Magazine was a half-hour television show produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1975 to 1979.The show was hosted by geneticist David Suzuki, who previously hosted the daytime youth programme Suzuki On Science...
, Salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, Huffington Post, MinnPost.comMinnPost.comMinnPost.com also known as MinnPost is a non-profit news website in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a focus on Minnesota news. Its mission is "to provide high-quality journalism for news-intense people who care about Minnesota."...
, Issues in Science & Technology,http://www.issues.org/25.2/p_otto.html, New ScientistNew ScientistNew Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
, Scientific AmericanScientific AmericanScientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
, and other outlets.
Science Debate
During the Hollywood writers' strike in 2007 and 20082007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
, Otto co-founded and became the CEO of the largest political initiative in the history of American science, the 125-million-strong Science Debate 2008
Science Debate 2008
Science Debate 2008 was a grassroots campaign to call for a public debate in which the candidates for the 2008 U.S. presidential election discuss issues relating to the environment, health and medicine, and science and technology policy. The effort was co-chaired by U.S. House representatives...
, which Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
participated in, marking the first time in history endorsed presidential candidates laid out science policies in detail before the election. The initiative made over 800 million media impressions.http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=56 The campaign was co-sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
, the Institute of Medicine
Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, the Council on Competitiveness
Council on Competitiveness
The Council on Competitiveness is an American non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. The Council’s goal is to increase the United States' economic competitiveness in the global marketplace...
, PBS Nova, and NOW on PBS, and its signers include over 170 major American universities and other leading organizations, over 100 university presidents, and dozens of Nobel laureates, all told [sic] representing over 125 million Americans of all parties, meaning over one in three Americans supports Shawn.
Notable Public Appearances
Otto delivered the keynote at the 45th annual Nobel ConferenceNobel Conference
The Nobel Conference is the first ongoing academic conference in the United States to have the official authorization of the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. It is held annually at Gustavus Adolphus College in St...
, on "Democracy in the Age of Science."http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=71 and has spoken at the United States National Academies
United States National Academies
The United States National Academies comprises four organizations:* National Academy of Sciences * National Academy of Engineering * Institute of Medicine * National Research Council...
, the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
, and the 2010 EuroScience Open Forum. He has also spoken about science and politics on National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation
Talk of the Nation
Talk of the Nation is a talk radio program based in the United States, produced by National Public Radio, and is broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Its focus is current events and controversial issues....
: Science Friday" and on television and radio throughout the world.
Awards and honors
- Otto was awarded the IEEE-USAInstitute of Electrical and Electronics EngineersThe Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
's 2009 National Award for Distinguished Public Service, their highest honor. - His film House of Sand and Fog was nominated for three Academy AwardsAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
. - Otto's first screenplayScreenplayA screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
, Shining White, won the Heathcote Award, the McKnight Artist Fellowship and the Barry Morrow Fellowship. - He is a PEN Center USA Literary Awards finalist in screenwriting for House of Sand and Fog.
- He is an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow for his project HubbleHubbleHubble is a surname and may refer to:* Brian Hubble , American painter and illustrator* Eddie Hubble , American Jazz trombonist* Edwin Hubble , American astronomer* Jack Hubble , English cricketer...
.http://www.filmmakers.com/news/contests/article_307.shtml - Otto is a National Merit Scholar, a member of MensaMensaMensa meaning table in Latin, may refer to:*Mensa International, an organization for people with high IQs*Mensa , a southern star constellation*Mensa , a term used by geologists to refer to an extraterrestrial mesa...
, a member of the Society of Environmental JournalistsSociety of Environmental JournalistsThe Society of Environmental Journalists is a non-profit created by and for journalists who report environmental topics in the news media. The mission of the Society of Environmental Journalists is to strengthen the quality, reach and viability of journalism across all media to advance public...
and an Eagle ScoutEagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
.