50x50: Science Across America Announced On Stage at IMI Fest 2025

At IMI Fest 2025, we introduced 50x50: Science Across America, a new initiative designed to celebrate the stories of science happening across the country through the people closest to it. The idea is simple but ambitious: pair 50 creators with 50 scientists, one from each state, and tell the stories that don’t usually get told. Not just the headline discoveries, but the local, unexpected, deeply human work happening in labs, factories, field sites, and communities across America.

Launching in 2026, the project will bring together 50 creators and 50 scientists, one from each state, to produce 50 videos in 50 days in celebration of American science. Joined by Emily Graslie (The Brain Scoop), Joe Hanson (Be Smart), and Destin Sandlin (Smarter Every Day), alongside IMI founder Stuart Sevier and producer Chris Cechin-De La Rosa, this panel marked the beginning of what we hope becomes a new model for how science is shared and who gets to share it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-c3xTcIFMw