It Does Not Have To Be Boring

It Does Not Have To Be Boring Hollywood takes its cues from reality, but in this case, the opposite could be happening. With the rise in popularity of TV shows such as CSI, Numb3rs, and Bones, interest in forensic sciences has increased, especially among the teen age set. In this case TV influencing real life is a good thing, and some schools and programs have cropped up to cultivate these interests. Robotics Schools such as Montvue Elementary in Pomona, CA are offering robotics classes that combine many disciplines. Think about it, in real life problems dont present themselves in the form of please graph y = x^2 + 3x + 2, so why are students being trained that way? These robotics classes integrate math, physics, and engineering. Not only do they spark initial interest, they also help to maintain enthusiasm. So often you see a students passion for math fade after they are hit with hundreds upon hundreds of practice problems. Not so with these hands-on classes that show the applicability of equations and formulas. Read more about Montvues robotics program here. Encourage your school to participate in the FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition), originally founded by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway. Forensic Sciences What you dont see in all the TV shows is the nitty-gritty work that goes into solving a crime. Lab results and blood analyses arent always clean, and they sure arent fast. But that doesnt faze the students at New Rochelle High School in New York. In fact, demand for the schools forensic science class has skyrocketed. Combining biology, physics, chemistry, and math, this class is as real a science problem as it gets. Instead of solving chemical reactions or physics projectile problems in isolation, students are challenged to integrate knowledge across many fields. And the problem isnt some diagram in a textbook, instead its staring them right in the face in the form of a decomposing bird. Read more about New Rochelles forensic class here Read about the different careers the forensic science field offers here (text heavy but informative).