Engineering Education Reality TV Show

I read that the IEEE is helping to fund a reality TV style show around engineering problems. “Design Squad” is a new half-hour weekly television program produced by WGBH Boston.

The show will feature two competing teams of high school students plucked from real life and follow their progress as they design, build, and test fun yet practical machines, such as an automatic pancake maker and a motorized wagon. The eight contestants, chosen through audition, have minimal engineering experience, though for many working with technology is an after-school hobby.

IT seems like an interesting idea and I can't wait to see how it looks in execution. personally I'd love to see a TV show or a movie were the hero (male or female) is a software engineer - someone smart, interesting, good looking and with a real life like so many I have known in real life. But these days with the raidkly growing neeed we have for all kinds of engineers it is easy for me to get excited about a show like this.

Problem solving is very important, at times difficult and even frustrating, but a show like this should show that it is also interesting, fun and satisfing. It this show gets some kids interested in engineering it will be money well spent.