STEM/STEAM

In this video, meet three individuals who work for Southco and find their careers rewarding. CAD Design Drafter Anthony Horne works with software to recreate 3D data. CNC Mills Senior Lab Technician Mike Coleman creates prototypes for design engineers. Coordinate Measuring Machine Senior Technical Karl Barth ensures product standards are met.

Jim runs the quality control lab at David Michael & Company, a food flavoring manufacturer. Aliah is a biomedical research technician at The Wistar Institute, a cancer research center in Philadelphia. And Tony, a production mechanic at New Jersey American Water, is the third featured case study in this exploration of applied science and technology jobs. What do all three have in common? They landed their well-paid, technically challenging positions after only two years of instruction: Jim, through an associate's degree study track; Aliah, a biomedical research technician training program; and Tony, a water treatment licensing course following nine years in the Navy.

"...[a] look at the vocational side of the IT industry, which also features profiles of three IT workers who make comfortable livings after only two years of higher education. Viewers meet Bob, a help desk administrator for Swiss Farms, an innovative retail company; Mike, a system administrator for AWeber Communications; and Joe, a network engineer for Sungard Availability Services. Each describes the job search path that led to a position with professional, emotional, and financial rewards. Their managers and coworkers also provide input. A Cambridge Educational Production."

No e-mail, no Facebook, no blogging. No Google for researching term papers, even. From here on out it’s pencils, spiral notebooks, typewriters, and good old-fashioned library books. What 20-something in his or her right mind would partake of such insanity? Answer: three college students who have volunteered to spend 30 days without touching or using a computer. Documenting their “digital detox” with equal parts humor and angst, this film examines the ubiquitous presence of technology in 21st-century society while exploring, in a reassuring way, the natural resourcefulness with which Andrew, Caitlin, and Chel confront their ordeal. Some language may be offensive; viewer discretion is advised. Viewable/printable instructor and student guides are available online. (61 minutes)

Alan Alda journeys across China, from dry western deserts and the world's most dramatic mummy find--well-preserved individuals from 4,000 years ago--to the steamy Yangtze River Valley, where scientists developed a new type of rice to feed China's burgeoning population.

In this video, meet four individuals who work for Bentley Systems, Inc. Software Engineer Colin Kerr provides common ways to store engineering data. IT Infrastructure and Support Director Janie Gordon monitors the core functionality of development. Associate Software Engineer Kevin Nyman writes code for product framework. Product Manager Jerry Flynn manages software rendering and animation.

This program explores the high-tech side of working in the industry, showing that health care technology jobs are not only fulfilling but also lucrative and challenging. Case studies feature Randy, a certified biomedical equipment technician (or CBET) at New Jersey’s Deborah Heart and Lung Center, as well as Luz, a surgical technologist, and Steve, a cath lab technician—both of whom work for Philadelphia’s Hahnemann University Hospital.

This film spotlights the quest of scientific truth in the early 20th Century. Isaac Newton, inspired by Albert Einstein, creates the law of gravity. Einstein, using the law of gravity, improves upon his special theory of relativity creating the general theory of relativity. This is proven by Arthur Eddington who photographed bent starlight shining through a full eclipse of the sun. Throughout this film, concepts of theoretical physics are animated to give viewers access to the minds of geniuses.

STEM is a significant part of everyday life. In this video, meet three individuals who work for AGI and find their careers rewarding. Systems Engineers Manager, Christie Wichner helps develop software for the aerospace and defense industry. Technical Training Manager Arianne Liepa ensures customers know how to use AGI products. Senior Software Developer Patrick Cozzi creates new software heavily based in math, science, engineering, and aerospace.

The humble digit 1 has in actuality been the prime mover in creating the entire concept of mathematics—and a surprisingly large force in the shaping of world history. This very clever video hosted by the irrepressible Terry Jones of Monty Python fame tells the entire story of 1 and how, with 0, it has come to dominate society through digital technology. Landmark developments—addition and subtraction in Sumer, measurement in Egypt, geometry in Greece, Roman numerals in Rome, “Arabic” numbers in India, and more—are spotlighted. In addition, pivotal figures including Pythagoras, Archimedes, al-Khuwarizmi, Fibonacci, and Leibniz are introduced. Recommended for grades 6-18. (60 minutes)

The future is digital, but is it beautiful? In this program, technology enthusiast Simon Armitage seeks to understand the world’s love affair with all things tech and why consumers have bought into an upgrade culture where the “next big thing” may be more about desire and status than it is about functionality.