Alda wants scientists to cut the jargon ALAN Alda wants scientists to cut out the jargon. The M.A.S.H. actor who also hosted a long-running TV series Scientific American Frontiers helped start a centre on communicating science at Stony Brook University. Its mission: to teach scientists how to get their points across more clearly. The Long Island college renamed the four-year-old centre for Alda last week. Alda, who is 77, serves as a visiting professor of journalism at Stony Brook. He does not teach a regular course but frequently speaks at conferences and workshops at the centre. Alda says explaining science using clear, simple language can benefit society in many ways. It can help politicians make better decisions on scientific funding, help doctors explain operations to their patients and help consumers know what's in the food they buy.