Real World Math & Science

University of Massachusetts > STEM > October 2008 Real World Math & Science

NUMBER WRANGLING | Horses in the Movies

A Western wouldn't be a Western without stampedes and shoot-outs on horseback or simply cowboys riding into town. So, who does the producer call when he needs stagecoaches, buckboards and horses to make the script come alive?  And how much will it cost to bring those horses and wagons to a movie set?   Give your students the back-story and show them how math plays a role in keeping a movie from going over budget.

Watch this behind-the-scenes movie

GEOLOGY & PATTERNS | The Surface of Mars

Currently the worldwide collection of Mars rocks totals 37.  They've come to Earth over the eons as meteorites.  As a scientist at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Molly McCanta's job is to study rocks for clues to Red Planet's geological history.  She loves the challenge.

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SCIENCE CLOSE UP | Indicator Species

This two-minute movie explores the concept of indicator species-certain species, such as birds of prey, that are highly sensitive to problems in their environment. Biologists use this data to quickly determine the overall health of a particular ecosystem.   

Watch this new movie! 

PROBLEM SOLVING | Fish Farming

Clean water for drinking and agriculture is becoming a precious commodity on our planet. Meet a couple of agricultural engineers who are helping solve the problem by producing two different crops from the same water.

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PROBLEM SOLVING | The Black-Footed Ferret

The National Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Program is considered one of the most successful captive breeding and release programs in the world.  They've gone from just eighteen animals to a wild population of over 750 and rising. Treat your students to a rare visit inside the main facility behind this remarkable effort, and introduce them to wildlife biologists who are using math, science and lots of dedication to recover a species once thought extinct.

Watch this classroom favorite 

"This story about biologists' efforts to rescue the endangered black-footed ferret is inspirational.  It's a real life (and death) application of several scientific principles in order to save an important species right in America's backyard."

DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE | Landscape Architects

Meet two landscape architects who tell the story of competing against top firms in the world to win the opportunity to design a one-of-a kind botanical garden for the city of Chicago: the Lurie Garden at Millennium Park.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | Testing Bats

When your students are up at bat in a game of baseball or softball, they probably aren't thinking about physics, vibration rates or the center of percussion.  But someone is.

Take a trip inside Easton Sports' research & development lab to meet the engineers and technicians who are using math, science and technology like robotics, sensors, and air cannons to design and test high-performance baseball and softball bats.  

Watch the movie 

KEEPING ANIMALS IN THE EQUATION | Studying Cheetahs

To help save an endangered species like the cheetah, you must start by collecting data about its behavior. Only the brave need apply for Susan Millard's job, however, because her kind of study is up close and personal.

Watch the movie

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