posted 11-18-2010 10:19 AM               

Big name scientists are on the bill with headlining rock 'n' rollers in new ads aimed at getting kids and their parents jazzed about science.

Premiering in December's GQ magazine, the "2010 Rock Stars of Science" campaign pairs musicians such as Blondie's Debbie Harry, Poison's Bret Michaels and Timbaland, with scientists, including Nobel Prize winners.

"All these people are doing great things," says Harry, who took part in the campaign amid preparations for overseas shows. "We have to get the word out."

Rock stars are household names, but ResearchAmerica! polls suggest half the public can't name a living scientist. A 2005 National Academies of Science report complained parents aren't turning their kids on to science anymore.

"I think being a scientist is like being a fighter pilot, it's just as cool," says Columbia University professor of surgery Mehmet Oz, best known as the host of the syndicated Dr. Oz Show. Oz appears with Timbaland and astronaut Bernard Harris in the campaign. "The juxtaposition of scientists with rock stars might jolt people a little, and open some minds," Oz says.