Videos Revealing Personal Side of Scientists and Their Work
The PBS/NOVAweb seriesThe Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers provides humanizing snapshots of scientists who are shaping our world. Students will learn about cutting-edge science and engineering, the amazing people who do that work, and the activities they engage in when their lab coats come off. Each episode profiles a contemporary scientist in three or four discrete, one- to three-minute videoclips. For example, Simon Singh tells how he moved from physics to science journalism and discovered an insane amount of math in “The Simpsons.” Physicist Michio Kaku’s dream is to find the “unified theory of everything,” but he takes breaks to go figure skating. Cynthia Erenas connected with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas through a program in her Los Angeles high school. He helped her embrace technology and imagine wildly; she became a superstar teen roboticist. The site is searchable by curricular topics or hobbies (art, music, etc.). It also includes blog posts that set scientists’ work in the context of the everyday world and a teacher’s guide with ideas on how to use the videos and blog posts to reveal a personal side of science that many students can relate to.
For more than 35 years, TheWhite House Office of Science and Technology has bestowed the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) upon STEM teachers across the country and in US jurisdictions.
In April 2019, scientists obtained the first image of a black hole, using Event Horizon Telescope observations of the center of the galaxy M87. The image shows a bright ring formed as light bends in the intense gravity around a black hole. Teachers can capture students’ enthusiasm about black holes by challenging them to solve the standards-aligned math problems provided by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab.
Twig Science Reporter is a freeweekly science news service for K–6 classrooms created in partnership with Imperial College London to connect science lessons with real-world STEM news and events through high-quality video and other learning resources to pique students’ interest.