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 09.09
Top 10 Network TV Programs
that Include Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics
By Abby VogelEven though I don’t have cable
television, I can still watch excellent
STEM-related television shows on over-the-air
stations ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. The 10 shows
below demonstrate how science and engineering
can be used to solve problems — and can be a lot
of fun. They also help to interest kids in
science and engineering careers (I hope).
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10. |
 Heroes
- A drama delving into the lives of
people from around the world who have
superpowers, which they use to prevent a
catastrophic future. (NBC) |
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9. |
 House,
.M.D. - Dr. Gregory
House is a brilliant diagnostician known
for his unconventional thinking and
flawless instincts, but also for being
an irreverent, controversial doctor who
trusts no one, least of all his
patients. An infectious disease
specialist, he thrives on the challenge
of solving medical puzzles in order to
save lives. (FOX) |
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8. |
 Defying
Gravity - Four women and
four men hurtle through space and
undertake a mysterious six-year
international space mission on the
spaceship Antares. They have nothing to
do for eight billion miles, except maybe
solve a powerful and awesome mystery.
(ABC) |
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7. |
 NCIS;
NCIS: Los Angeles -
NCIS is a successful JAG
spin-off about criminal cases involving
Navy and Marine personnel, handled by
the Naval Criminal Investigative
Service. NCIS: Los Angeles is a
new drama about the high stakes world of
undercover surveillance. The team
utilizes the most advanced technology to
look out for those in the field and feed
them crucial information. (CBS) |
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6. |
 Fringe
- A drama with sci-fi elements following
the FBI probe of mysterious deaths
aboard an airplane that landed at
Boston’s Logan Airport. But the deaths
aboard Flight 627 are only the beginning
of the story for Walter Bishop, a
psychiatrically challenged scientist.
(FOX) |
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5. |
 NUMB3RS
- An FBI special agent in Los Angeles
teams with his mathematical genius
brother to solve crimes. Don, a veteran
investigator, relies on hard facts and
evidence to catch crooks, while his
younger brother Charlie, a brilliant
university professor, analyzes
mathematical equations and statistics to
provide case clues. (CBS) |
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4. |
 CSI:
Crime Scene Investigation;
CSI: Miami;
CSI: NY -
Criminologists use scientific methods to
solve grisly murders. The series
adroitly mixes painstaking deduction,
gritty subject matter and intriguing
characters. The network capitalized on
the success of CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation with spin-offs in
Miami and New York City. (CBS) |
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3. |
 Bones
- A scientist with an uncanny ability to
read clues left behind in a victim’s
bones solves murders in a procedural
series inspired by real-life forensic
anthropologist and novelist Kathy Reichs.
Scientist Brennan is often teamed with
FBI Special Agent Booth, who mistrusts
science and believes evidence should
come from the living. The Brennan-Booth
pair have drawn favorable comparisons to
Scully and Mulder of The X-Files. (FOX) |
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2. |
 Shark
Tank - Contestants
present business ideas to five
multimillionaires, who will either
invest or pass. (ABC) |
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1. |
 The
Big Bang Theory - In
this quirky comedy, two nerdy physicists
— the kind of “beautiful minds” that
understand how the universe works —
share an apartment. But none of that
genius helps them interact with people.
Sheldon is quite content spending his
nights playing Klingon Boggle with their
socially dysfunctional friends, fellow
CalTech engineer Wolowitz and
scientist Koothrappali. However, Leonard sees a
whole new universe of possibilities
through an unlikely friendship with
their beautiful neighbor Penny. (CBS) |
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Abby Vogel, Ph.D., is a
communications officer in the Research News and
Publications office at the Georgia Institute of
Technology. In this position, she writes about
Georgia Tech research discoveries and
developments, and assists reporters in their
coverage of Georgia Tech research. Vogel also
serves as chair of the IEEE-USA Communications
Committee and as an editor for IEEE-USA
Today’s Engineer.
Comments may be submitted to
todaysengineer@ieee.org.
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