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The STEM of Super Bowls: Career Paths

by
Sarah Brzezinski

Football is probably not what you think of when someone mentions the Chesapeake Bay. Personally, my mind jumps to great blue heron, osprey, blue crabs, oysters, terrapin, and bay grasses. I got a degree in environmental science because my parents and teachers inspired me to be passionate about these things, but oysters and osprey may not be interesting to all of your students. Finding a topic that inspires your students can be a challenge, and using that topic to develop an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, such as environmental science, can be even harder.

The importance of STEM fields is frequently called out, but the United States educational achievements in these content areas are consistently ranked behind that of other countries. In the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) comparison, American students ranked 25th out of 30 in math literacy and 21st out of 30 in science literacy among students from developed countries. STEM fields are essential to the growth of our economy, and all of our students should be graduating literate in these subjects. We also need more students graduating with advanced degrees in these fields to continue our country’s tradition of innovation (and to continue working on issues related to the health of the Chesapeake Bay).

A great way to get your students interested in STEM fields is to frame the conversation and the lesson plans you use around something they are already genuinely interested in. Do you think your students will be talking about the Super Bowl on Monday? Inviting them to talk about it during class may be a bit of a taboo, but it is one you can break if you direct the conversation towards the types of professions it takes to pull-off a Super Bowl. Someone had to invent the technology that is used to design helmets, half-time show pyrotechnics, high-definition video cameras, and the headsets coaches use to communicate. Have your students brainstorm a list of STEM-related professions that are needed to pull such a big sporting event off.

If your students have doubts about STEM involvement in the Super Bowl, share this bit of information with them: to broadcast and produce the 2009 Super Bowl in Tampa, FL, NBC used 52 high-definition cameras, 45 vehicles (including control trucks, mobile units, office trailers and a horse trailer), 24 digital video replay sources, eight digital post-production facilities (five Avid suites and three Final Cut Pro suites), 20 hand-held cameras, five robotic cameras, two RF hand-held cameras, one “cable-cam” camera that was suspended above the field and more. A crew of 200 people and more than 450 total production and engineering staff were working at the game (The Tech that Makes the Super Bowl Super).

STEM professionals are necessary for football to be played by athletes and enjoyed by viewers!

Be sure to check Bay Backpack’s blog on Monday; we will be featuring some lesson plans and resources that can help you Teach About the STEM of the Super Bowl!