Did you hear that?

As a scientist, the discovery of Richard III's coffin and other mysteries is fascinating to me. However, my pop culture warning lights are flashing 'Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!'. I have to agree with Robert Farley. Don't. Open. The. Box. Nothing good can come from opening a lead casket sealed in a stone casket. In other news, I heard a commotion in the basement. I think I'll go investigate by myself.

Here's Looking at Euclid

I don't get much free time to read books that I choose. In fact, I'm not even halfway through this book and I'm already in love with it. I now have Alex Bellos' math-terpiece on my wishlist and it's part of my dream classroom library.

Cover of Here's Looking at Euclid

One of the things that has always bothered me about eduction is how each subject is taught in a void. This happens less often in the humanities, but way too often in math and science. And it's more than just notion that you need the skills and knowledge from English, or math to successfully study science. It's the cultural void that surrounds our teaching. Science and math are not conducted in a void. They are accomplished by people with fascinating personal histories and influenced by the culture in which they occur.

Here's Looking at Euclid  offers readers a new perspective on math, beyond formulas and proofs. The bits of math that Bollos follows seems eclectic, taking us on a world-wide tour of Euclid's geometry to origami in Japan, to a tribe in the Amazon who only have specific words for the numbers one through five, and sometimes not even that. Rather than seem disjointed, this wide range of mathematical wonders highlights the variety and depth of what math has to offer. Each person who reads this book should come out with at least one thing that makes them realize the role that math plays in each of our lives.

Why I'm going into STEM education

To combat the Ben Waides of the world. Someone needs to call bull puckey on their crap.

"The theory of evolution is a theory, and essentially the theory of evolution is not science — Darwin made it up,” [Rep. Ben] Waide said. “My objection is they should ensure whatever scientific material is being put forth as a standard should at least stand up to scientific method. Under the most rudimentary, basic scientific examination, the theory of evolution has never stood up to scientific scrutiny.”