A documentary filmmaker by training, Lynn Burnstan is the managing director of UCSD-TV. In 1993, she joined the UCSD-TV team and began creating a unique television station that provides the San Diego area with locally produced, regionally focused programming on a wide variety of topics. Today, she manages the staff and budget of the station. Previously, she produced and edited award-winning films in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Diego for television, film festivals, corporations and commercials. A longtime resident of California, she has a B.A. from UCSD and received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Burnstan: “When Things Get Small” is an innovative program that uses a variety of comic inventions and special effects to explain the concept of “nano” to viewers of all ages. Renowned UCSD physicist Ivan Schuller and UCSD-TV’s science producer Rich Wargo formed “Not Too Serious Labs” and produced this wonderfully wacky program, funded by the National Science Foundation, with additional help from Calit2 and the UCSD Division of Physical Sciences. Hosted by UCSD alumnus Adam Smith, “When Things Get Small” takes a comically corny romp into Professor Schuller’s real-life quest to create the smallest magnet ever known. Based on the success of this program, we’re already looking ahead to the next installment in the series, “When Things Get Big,” a comical exploration of the gigantic machines used to investigate matter. Winning the Emmys in all nominated categories – for the program, special effects, photography, lighting, and performance - is a tremendous accomplishment and a wonderful validation of the idea of creating science programming that entertains while it informs. It also makes us proud that we can make a program about such a complicated subject and still make it accessible to the general public. “When Things Get Small” is available for viewing on-demand and video podcast at www.ucsd.tv/getsmall.

Burnstan: UCSD-TV’s programming is as diverse as the campus itself. Every evening from 8 to 10 p.m., UCSD-TV focuses on a different subject area, with Public Affairs on Mondays, Humanities on Tuesdays, Science on Wednesdays, Health and Medicine every Thursday, Arts and Music Friday evenings, and commercial-free world cinema on Saturdays. On Sundays, we replay programs from the preceding week. We also cover events on and around campus, and feature UCSD faculty, researchers and visitors exploring a wide range of hot topics: performing arts, local and national politics, the humanities, and important health and science issues. Every weekday from 5 to 6 p.m., we present world news from France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Burnstan: On a campus as vibrant as UCSD, in a community as thriving as San Diego, there is no shortage of worthwhile ideas. Our challenge is choosing which to pursue and how to pay for the production. To do that we have four outstanding producers who develop programming in their respective areas, often with faculty or community partners. Working with a partner not only affords better opportunities for underwriting the production of programs, but also taps into the vast intellectual and creative capital available to us.

Burnstan: We premiere 10 to 20 new programs a month. In addition, we add programs that come our way from UCTV, the systemwide satellite channel featuring programs from throughout the UC system, and other sources of programming such as the United Nations, the French Embassy, CUNY and many others.

Burnstan: As a university-based station we have unusual access to speakers, performances and renowned experts that other stations simply don’t have. Our non-commercial status enables us to devote significant airtime to in-depth coverage of new ideas, key issues and emerging and established talents. Collaborations with eminent faculty and distinguished community institutions put us on the cutting-edge of information and entertainment.

Burnstan: As a vital part of UCSD, we are fortunate to be at the center of new thinking and fresh ideas and we can act as a window to important events on our campus and in our community. We are able to push the envelope technologically and have done so on UCSD-TV and UCTV with moving video over the Internet, exploring innovative ways to archive digital content, and expanding into podcasting and other video-on-demand outlets such as Google Video. Our biggest challenge is continuing to find the resources that allow UCSD-TV to thrive. In addition to supporting programming, we will soon need to upgrade our old analog transmitter to a digital one, and need to keep up with all the digital technology that helps make our programs accessible in many ways and preserves them for the future.

Burnstan: UCSD-TV is available on cable, UHF channel 35 (no cable), and on-demand at www.ucsd.tv. We can be seen on Cox Digital channel 135 all day, every day. Time Warner subscribers get UCSD-TV on channel 18 everyday from 4 p.m. until midnight. Adelphia’s Del Mar subscribers get UCSD-TV 24 hours a day on channel 68. If you are an Adelphia subscriber in Carlsbad or elsewhere, visit us on-line at www.ucsd.tv/adelphia to find out how you can help bring UCSD-TV to your channel line-up. If you get your television off of an antennae (no cable), tune in to UCSD-TV all day, every day on channel 35. If you are out of the San Diego area, many UCSD-TV programs appear on UCTV through the DISH network (ch. 9412) and on cable systems throughout California.