Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita

After his fifteen-year-old daughter was paralyzed in a skiing accident, Dr. Jack Kessler set aside his current research and began looking for cures for spinal injuries using embryonic stem cells. Maria Finitzo's documentary follows Kessler and his daughter, Allison, now a Harvard undergrad, and explores the science, politics, and casualties of the stem cell controversy, as Kessler's work draws him into the debate. Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita received a 2009 Peabody Award, and aired on PBS as a part of its "Independent Lens" series.