“Bus, Do Your Stuff!” - Entertainment in Science

Written by Abigail Conover and Casey Berkery

Everyone has that one core memory that zaps them right back to their childhood. Whether it be a smell, location, song or book! For me it definitely has to be that familiar school bus horn followed by Miss Frizzle calling everyone on the bus and Arnie dramatically wishing for this field trip to be “a normal one”. I don’t think I could run any faster to my family’s tiny living room T.V., at least not if I wanted to completely faceplant onto our wooden floors.

For me, The Magic School Bus was so integral to my childhood, especially being a young rambunctious girl hyper fixated on rocks, bugs and anything relating to where I lived. Getting to not only experience and watch The Magic School Bus at home but then getting to learn about the myriad of topics talked about in school was and still is so important to me. The show made school so much more engaging and entertaining for me as well as making  museum visits all the more fun! It’s such a joy getting to see how I used to light up when I watched this show and then fast forwarding to now and getting to see how kids light up almost the same way when walking onto our very own magic school bus. It is truly incomparable to anything I've previously done within the STEM field.

T.V. shows like The Magic School Bus can serve as some of our earliest exposures to science.

Another show that provided that spark for me was Mythbusters. Admittedly, that early scientific exposure may have come a bit too early for me as I was far too young for the edgy stylings of Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, but that is what made the show all the more impactful. What science entertainment programs add beyond scientific knowledge is a heightened element of imagination and emotional engagement.

The MythBusters conduct their over-the-top experiments in the spirit of either confirming or “busting” the plausibility of urban legends, ancient myths, and pop-culture spectacles. This rebellious and sarcastic attitude inspired in me a deep scientific drive to question everything. It showed that science is more than equations and books, it is intrinsically connected to our world, our people, and the stories we tell. By exploring science with entertainment and imagination, science television programs build an emotional connection to scientific thought, and showcase the wonder and fun of the natural world. If sitting back and watching T.V. can accomplish this much, imagine the connections that hands-on experiences at the GeoBus can forge!