STEM - science, technology, engineering and math - gets higher notoriety and "appeal" when integrated into shows such as The Big Bang Theory. This particular bunch of nerds have close social connections with a few non-STEMs thrown in for their apparent entertainment. But, in a nod to audiences of non-STEMs, it shows how even nerds that speak a different language are attracted to an unarticulated "sexy" factor on a molecular level.
Though likely not the declared intention of big studio producers and investors, focusing on the more mundane (less scary) parts of academic life and the old-school dreams of being an astronaut bring new careers to the American living rooms. They aren't new, but since smartphones don't easily link kids to quarks the same way that games might attract their attention, it brings a level of interest and exposure to fields where America used to excel.
We need kids and adults alike to be invigorated by math and science again. Encourage imagination and playing mad scientist, even if it means the kitchen needs detoxes after the little ones make their first volcano from baking soda and vinegar. Just use your feet and move the project outside before Vesuvius erupts again.
Learn more about the fun of math and help your memory last longer in the process. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/opinion/the-importance-of-recreational-math.html Or the full screen version at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/opinion/the-importance-of-recreational-math.html
