Science really is cool

Posted: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 by Travis Cody in
9

I wish I had paid attention to how cool science is when I was in junior high.  Too bad I didn't have the teachers that some of my favorite Science Channel personalities had.

Personalities.  I shouldn't call these learned individuals personalities.  They are scientists, researchers, educators.  

Dr Phil Plait.  Prof Michio Kaku.  Prof Amy Mainzer.  Prof Neil deGrasse Tyson.  Dr Alex Filippenko.  Dr Claudia Alexander.  Dr Michelle Thaller.

They have such passion for physics and astronomy and geology and all the other subjects that make up scientific study.

Advanced math turned my brain inside out.  Chemistry was way above my pay grade.  I had no confidence for math or science.  And I had no enthusiasm for those subjects.  I did the best I could with the minimum number of credits I had to take to graduate.

I loved history and English.  Give me punctuation and grammar and sentence structures.  Give me dates and events to research and evaluate.  Keep your periodic tables and quantum theories.

These days I spend more of my TV time with Discovery Channel and Science Channel and National Geographic Channel.  I guess it's not too late for an old guy to bone up on science, as long as there are cool programs bringing me cool images to help me understand.

Help your kids get interested in science.  It's really cool.

 

9 comments:

  1. Barb says:

    I loved Math, English and Science -but not History and definitely not biology, or at least not during the semester we had to dissect small animals. Fortunately, my Math teacher was also my biology teacher and when I told him I simply would NOT dissect anything or be in the lab with the formaldehyde smells and such, he agreed to let me skip that. Not that I gave him a choice. ;-)

    Have a lovely day, Trav!

  1. My son developed an interest in science and engineering pretty early, and was a whiz at math. I was glad to see it.

  1. A great teacher makes all the difference in the World. Math was not my stong suit. Loved English/Am. lit., history and science.

  1. Cherie says:

    The current Nova episode on PBS is a cool analysis of Earth from all the satellites orbiting the planet. Shows how interconnected all the systems on the planet are with each other. Very interesting indeed!

  1. Akelamalu says:

    I still haven't figured why learning is so much more fun and interesting as I've got older.

  1. Jean(ie) says:

    I *adore* Professor Michio Kaku. He's one cool dude.

    Hubby is a HUGE science geek and I learn something new from him every day. He's a good teacher, too!

    I agree. Science is cool. Very cool. Almost magic!

  1. Anonymous says:

    Good for you, Trav! Science was hard to avoid in my house. My folks taught high school science in different schools. Mom would come up with 'fun' science things to do all the time. Dad did too in his own way. Our play time with Mom would actually be some basic experiments. Dad didn't play, but he provided us with things to 'play' with electricity. I don't know how many young girls make motorized cars for their dolls to drive, but my sis and I did. I think it helps is one understands how it can apply to life. My doll had places to go and things to see, I guess! GGG

  1. Anonymous says:

    Good for you, Trav! Science was hard to avoid in my house. My folks taught high school science in different schools. Mom would come up with 'fun' science things to do all the time. Dad did too in his own way. Our play time with Mom would actually be some basic experiments. Dad didn't play, but he provided us with things to 'play' with electricity. I don't know how many young girls make motorized cars for their dolls to drive, but my sis and I did. I think it helps is one understands how it can apply to life. My doll had places to go and things to see, I guess! GGG

  1. I always loved words and how they worked and played and sang together. My husband and I met in a creative writing class, for crying out loud! But he is a science guy, while I, most decidedly, am not. Thankfully, my kids like science. In fact, our son is a science lover and hopes to follow in his dad's footsteps of being a software engineer. :)