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NSF, NBC team up with the National Football League to help teach science

To help engage students in science education, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NBC Learn have joined with the National Football League to create a 10-part series of videos on the Science of NFL Football. The videos, running three to five minutes each and supplemented with lesson plans, are available for use in middle and high schools free of charge. In each video, current and former NFL players demonstrate aspects of the game as they relate to such topics as “vectors,” “projectile motion and parabolas,” and even “nutrition, hydration, and health.” Dr. Tony Schmitz, a professor at the University of Florida and former Temple University football player, “guided us from the science perspective and football perspective,” said Soraya Gage, executive producer at NBC Learn, the educational arm of NBC News. Lesson plans for the series were created by Silicon Valley-based educational foundation Lessonopoly. NBC Learn and NSF previously created a similar series of educational videos around the 2010 Olympics. Gage said she hopes to continue the concept by focusing on other sports as well, such as golf, tennis, hockey, and the 2012 Summer Olympic games. “If you really want to reach kids in a constructive, positive way, they are really into sports.
They want to watch sports”, she said. “If you can combine educational content with that, you’re doing a real public service.” http://www.nbclearn.com [1]