Television shows are not always educational. In fact, the term “educational television” is often considered to be an oxymoron. Like rock and roll, and video games, television is often used as a scapegoat for many of society’s problems. In actuality, like any tool, it can be used for best or for worst. There are numerous ways of using television in a positive way. This can be seen in the way that educational television shows are still popular, and do indeed serve to educate the masses. For example, Bill Nye the Science Guy has taught an entire generation of children the basics of science, and made it more accessible. For younger children, shows such as Bob the Builder, Dora the Explorer, and The Tank Engine teach many important values. Mythbusters and Brainiac have shown the fun parts of science. Neil deGrasse Tyson has almost single handedly put astrophysics in the popular zeitgeist on a level that his spiritual predecessor, Carl Sagan could only have dreamed of with his Cosmos:A Spacetime Odyssey could ever have hoped. He has gone so far as earning the Public Welfare Medal in 2015 for his central role in “exciting the public about the wonders of science”. Now, the television show, the Big Bang Theory, is contributing to education in a way that no television show has ever done in history.

Why Bang on About the Big Bang Theory?

This is a very reasonable question. After all, the Big Bang Theory nothing but a show about scientists, and does little to educate in an of itself. The only thing which makes it stand out from other sitcoms is the fact that it has some vague relationship with scientists and science. In actuality, how it helps education goes far beyond the television show itself. Chuck Lorre, the creator of this show, as well as other hits such as Two and a Half Men, and Grace Under Fire has announced something pretty remarkable. He, through the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation has set up The Big Bang Theory Scholarship Endowment, with a value of USD 4 million. No other television show in the history of television has ever done this, and this is certainly not expected from a sitcom of all shows. It hopes to help students who enter the STEM fields at UCLA. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, which are among the more valued subjects by society at university. These subjects are not only notoriously hard, but too few people study them than are needed by society.

Into the Fund

The endowment is designed to directly aid 20 low income students studying these STEM subjects. Then each year after that, five new students will be helped. This will be repeated year after year for ever. The six main stars of the show will also contribute to the fund, as well as the three executive producers of the show. This is therefore not just a publicity stunt, but much more than that as shown by the active participation of those involved in the show directly.

Source: enspireusall.com

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