The NYTimes has a piece on a project out of MIT’s Media Lab: 

The series, “Cambridge Nights: Conversations About a Life in Science,” is intended to allow scientists to open up about their lives, their work and their views of the world. In one episode, for instance, Marc Vidal of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School talks about systems biology. In another, Ricardo Hausmann of the Center for International Development at Harvard discusses economic development.

So far, the project has been underwritten with Dr. Hidalgo’s faculty funds, and it has a relatively tiny audience, numbering in the thousands. But the project has been well enough received that Dr. Hidalgo is about to produce a second season…

 For Dr. Hidalgo, who researches the interplay of physics, network science and economic development, “Cambridge Nights” is a vehicle for celebrating the intensely intellectual world he discovered when he arrived in Boston in 2008.

(Note to Dr. Hidalgo and team: Not all Cambridge academic are white guys. )

Harvard and MIT churn out plenty of thier own videos, but these interview are much more informal. Here’s how Hidalgo describes the project on his site:

…(G)uests are not asked to simplify or condense their narratives. We invite them because we want to hear what they have to say, and we want to give them the time to say it comfortably. There are many high-speed formats out there. Cambridge Nights is an alternative where thoughts can be developed and reflected upon without the need to rush.

Finally, we ask our guests to share with us two things: their views on the world, and a bit of their life stories. After hearing what these wonderful academics have to say we ask them to share with the audience the personal context in which their work is taking place.