100,000 Computers a Day

A rare and fascinating look inside the world's largest computer manufacturer, Dell Inc., where thousands of computers are custom-built and shipped around the world every day. From the call center to the inventory system to the assembly line and beyond, one thing is certain: The whole operation relies on a variety of math skills every step of the way.
Running time 5:00 minutes.

America's Teaching Zoo

Today’s homework: Hand-feed tigers, divvy up raw meat for hyenas and teach the sea lion to play hide and seek.

Running time 4:58 minutes.

The Art Director

$The Art Director$ A set is a created place where the action of a film or TV show happens. Actors, animals and objects are placed on a set for filming. Creating a set where everything fits just right calls for an understanding of "area".
Running time 2:36 minutes.

Bicycle Design

$Bicycle Design$ Making bicycles that are strong enough for stunts requires the right combination of triangles and circles.

Running time 2:32 minutes.

The Blackfooted Ferret

Wildlife biologists from the US Fish and Wildlife Service explain how they are making great strides toward saving this endangered species that was once thought to be extinct. From breeding ferret offspring to preparing them for release back into the wild, the recovery effort of these cute carnivores is rich in math and science.
Running time 5:25 minutes.

Building Custom Guitars

Your students know what an electric guitar is--some probably play them--but do they know how a guitar is made? Whether it's the type of wood, the number of strings or the hundreds of choices in between, the guitar makers at Alembic use precision, care and skillful manipulation of numbers to craft some of the finest guitars in the world. Go inside the workshop!
Running time 5:09 minutes.

A Conversation with NASA Chief Mike Griffin

NASA Administrator Mike Griffin sat down with The Futures Channel to talk to teachers and students about the vision for space exploration--why he thinks it’s important, and what students need to bring to the table if they want to participate.
Running time 4:34 minutes.

Designing Dolls

$Designing Dolls$ Next year's Barbie dolls are the result of a lot of planning and creative work by this year's designers.

Running time 3:28 minutes.

Flowers by the Millions

You buy a dozen roses - he buys 3 million! Plus 1,250 sunflowers, 4,000 irises, and 5,000 calla lilies. In fact, he buys more than 100 million flowers a year. Introduce your students to someone who works with really big numbers. This real world context sets the stage for problem solving, decimal operations and even algebra.
Running time 5:05 minutes.

Flying on Mars

To fly around on the surface of Mars, a traditional aircraft would need to travel at speeds of over 250 MPH just to stay aloft in the very thin atmosphere. Taking off and landing on the rocky terrain for sample inspection and gathering would be nearly impossible. So what’s one solution? Check this out.
Running time 2:32 minutes.

The Forester

For Tami Sabol, the forest is her office. As a Forester for Plum Creek Timber Company, she is responsible for the health of hundreds of thousands of acres of trees. Using math and science is a routine part of her work.
Running time 5:10 minutes.

Growing Bugs

Organic farmers depend on Jan Dietrick to supply them with good bugs that attack bad bugs. She depends on her knowledge of ratios to get the job done.

Running time 1:19 minutes.

The Head Chef

$The Head Chef$ The head chef is responsible for everything that happens in the kitchen--and for everything that comes out of it.

Running time 2:15 minutes.

The Horse Doctor

A successful professional in any career must be an expert observer, and in no field is this truer than health care. It is especially important to a veterinarian, whose patients can’t talk.
Running time 1:49 minutes.

Horses in the Movies

A Western wouldn’t be a Western without stampedes, stagecoaches, shoot-outs on horseback or simply cowboys riding into town. So, who does the producer call when he needs stagecoaches, buckboards and real horses to make the script come alive? Meet Dave Rogers, a wrangler for Movin' On Livestock.
Running time 5:33 minutes.

Inventing with Polygons

$Inventing with Polygons$ Introduce your students to Inventor Chuck Hoberman who uses geometry to build structures that seem to magically transform.

Running time 2:29 minutes.

In the Chef's Kitchen

At Element's Kitchen in Pasadena, CA, these skilled and creative chefs are inventing delectable new dishes and bringing new life to familiar ones. Whether they're planning bulk orders for next week's menu, measuring the correct amounts of ingredients or figuring out how to scale up a recipe for a catered event, it's clear that math is almost as important a tool as their pots and pans.
Running time 5:05 minutes.

Landscape Architects

When most people think of architects, they think of buildings, but what about the parks, plazas and gardens that adorn our cities? Meet two landscape architects who tell the story of competing against top firms in the world to win the opportunity to design a one-of-a kind botanical garden for the city of Chicago: the Lurie Garden at Millennium Park.
Running time 6:45 minutes.

Landscape Architecture

$Landscape Architecture$ When you have the wild beauty of nature as a setting, designing and building recreational areas calls for a knowledge of biology as well as an artistic sense.

Running time 4:28 minutes.

The Lundberg Farms

$The Lundberg Farms$ This farmer raises many varieties of organic rice in central California. It's a satisfying job that requires an understanding of variables.

Running time 4:09 minutes.

Motorcycle Marketing

If you sell motorcycles for a living, you should test them out in all terrains, at least if you are Donna Vandenberg.

Running time 2:23 minutes.

Music for Movies

$Music for Movies$ Composer James Newton Howard takes a high-tech approach to writing musical scores for movies.

Running time 3:20 minutes.

The Orion Space Capsule

NASA is planning to send humans back to the Moon in 2018, but they’re already working on the spacecraft to get them there. NASA Aerospace and Industrial Engineer Robert Howard takes viewers inside the Habitability Design Center at Johnson Space Center for a look at the new Orion space capsule--and the math, engineering, and problem-solving skills his fascinating career demands.
Running time 6:20 minutes.

Popcorn, Peanuts, Hot Dogs

$Popcorn, Peanuts, Hot Dogs$ If your job is to feed 20,000 hungry fans at Yankee Stadium, your motto had better be "Be Prepared".

Running time 1:51 minutes.

Recycling Computers

Every year over 250 million computers and 100 million cell phones are tossed aside in the US alone. Go inside Electronic Recyclers, the largest “e-waste” facility in California, to see how they break down millions of pounds of electronics every month. Everything from computers to cell phones, TVs to X-Boxes, comes through their doors to be crushed, shredded, melted down and reused.
Running time 5:14 minutes.

Reliable Robots

Robotics engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center design, build and test robots used for missions in space that are too dangerous or impossible for humans. It can take years of testing to ensure that the robots that are sent to the Moon and Mars will be reliable.
Running time 5:35 minutes.

Revisiting the Moon

Evidence suggests there may be deposits of ice within craters at the poles of the moon. If this proves to be the case, Planetary Scientist Dr. Paul Spudis says it could possibly be "the most valuable piece of real estate in the solar system." Find out why.
Running time 6:16 minutes.

Second Skin Capability

Something you can work in, live in and stay alive in.
With support from the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts, MIT professor Dava Newman is designing a "second skin" spacesuit for exploring the Moon, Mars and beyond. Check it out.
Running time 4:30 minutes.

The Shape of Phones

Is 1.2 millimeters a huge number? It depends on who you ask.

As cell phones continue to shrink and the demand for additional features like cameras, music and email continues to grow, every millimeter counts. Show your students how the designers and engineers at Motorola rely on math to make everything fit.
Running time 5:35 minutes.

The Space Sling

It's been described as "using the techniques of Tarzan" to move things through outer space. It's reusable and would dramatically reduce the cost of space missions. Scientists are working on it, NASA is funding it and The Futures Channel has been following it for the last two years. Want to help your students get in on the ground floor? Take five minutes to watch the movie and check out the Critical Thinking exercises!
Running time 5:19 minutes.

Spaceports

Whether you’re talking about privately owned and operated rockets to ferry cargo to low earth orbit, or the customers already in line for the opportunity to weightlessly gaze upon Earth from outer space, the “personal space flight revolution” will bring a new element of infrastructure to our communities: Spaceports. Building and operating these new launch facilities will require science, technology, engineering, math, imagination and problem solving skills.
Running time 11:45 minutes.

Undersea Treasure

$Undersea Treasure$ A probability map, constructed by a mathematician, locates a sunken U.S. ship with the largest sunken gold treasure in U.S. history, and reveals even greater wonders.

Running time 5:40 minutes.

Water Supply

$Water Supply$ New York City uses 1.5 billion gallons of water every day. How do you get all that water to all those people? Meet Bernie Daley, a hydro engineer, who knows how to solve this problem.
Running time 3:19 minutes.

Problem Solving

Timber Cruise

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