The Boston Globe recently ran an article describing how one Northeatern University professor is using a blog to help turn the TV show “Numb3rs” into a tool to drive interest in mathematics.
He tells a story about the ”outstanding student” who took his calculus class. When the student visited Bridger’s office, the professor asked him why he was an engineering major rather than a math major. The student told him the decision was based on a few words of advice from his high school guidance counselor: ”You’re really good in math; you should go into engineering.” Bridger says of the student’s story, ”We get that all the time.”[...]
Bridger suggested creating a blog explaining the math explored in ”Numb3rs” as a way to generate interest in the math department, which had seen a precipitous dip in majors from 2003 to 2004. Techs at Northeastern set up the site (www.atsweb.neu.edu/math/cp/blog), and Bridger wrote his first entry Feb. 3. The site has logged more than 4,000 visits since a counter was installed in June, and Bridger estimates that the site receives 50 to 80 hits a day.
Pfft! If you’re good in math, you should become an actuary. I thought everybody knew that!