Introduction

Every year, on the first day of school, I challenge my freshmen to tell me something they did over the summer that has to do with science. The only constraints are that it has to be school-appropriate, and that they can’t repeat what anyone else says. And while occasionally I do get that uber-science-geek kid who tried to build a Tesla coil (I’m serious, initials T.C. if he’s reading), or worked on their grandfather’s old perpetual motion machine (true story, E.E.) or made a Rube-Goldberg machine from the toys they had lying around their bedroom (oh wait, that was my nerd-child), most of the students are at a loss. Until we get going.

It only take a few students saying swimming, hiking, or fishing for the rest of the students catch on. Then they start realizing that walking to the convenience store is anatomy and physics. Planting a garden is biology and earth science. Repainting the spare room is physics and chemistry. Finally, someone says, “I breathed,” and everyone groans. And say, “Yes, absolutely!”

“Huh?” but then they think about it. And they realize. Going on a plane, eating a sandwich, dirt biking, cooking breakfast, playing video games, sleeping, texting, are all related to science. Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, everything fits somewhere, and every student has a legit answer to the question.

And that’s the point. Science isn’t just for nerds, or really smart people, or PhD’s. Science is everywhere. Everything is related to science.

Science is simply the understanding of and natural explanations for how the world and the universe work. The understanding of our daily activities as well as our big life changes. Big questions get more press, and have many many books written about them. With this blog, I hope to present the science behind more every day things. The “gee, I’ve always wondered why that does that” sort of things. Or maybe you haven’t wondered. That’s fine. But I still hope you enjoy reading, and gain an appreciation of how science relates to your life.