FUTURES was designed to motivate interest in mathematics by showing students that math is the language of the future--and a passport to creative and rewarding jobs in fields ranging from fashion and skateboard design to architecture and space exploration.
Each FUTURES episode combines scenes from Escalante's classroom, on-site interviews with professionals and appearances by celebrities like Arnold Schwartzennegger, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Cameron, Cindy Crawford, Jimmy Smits and Jackie Joyner Kersee. FUTURES has received more than fifty awards, including the highest honor in the field of broadcasting, The George Foster Peabody Award.
Watch a preview of FUTURES with Jaime EscalanteFUTURES Environmental Sciences Episodes:Renewable Energy - Energy can come from windmills spinning in the desert wind, changes in ocean temperature, steam generated deep in the molten core of the earth, or even from burning vegetation. Locations include California's Mojave desert, where solar engineers explain how giant mirrors capture the sun's energy, and Hawaii, where scientists experiment with tidal energy. Classroom guest: Ed Begley, Jr.
Environmental Science and Technology - Some of the most promising careers of the future will solve the pollution problem. Locations include New York City's 2,400 acre Freshkills Landfill and the renowned recycling program in the City of Seattle. Also featured: Amazon rainforest specialists, a "garbage anthropologist," and the unique work of musicologist Bernie Krause, who records and catalogues the sounds of nature. Classroom guest: Olivia Newton John.
Meteorology - How hard will the winds blow? Where will the lightning strike? Predicting the weather is the science of meteorology. In this episode, meet hurricane specialists, tornado trackers and other people who collect data on weather systems. Not all storms take place on Earth, as space weather scientists explain when they discuss the need to predict huge solar flares. Classroom guest: TV weatherman Spencer Christian.
Ocean Exploration - Oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth's surface-yet only a tiny fraction of the ocean has been explored or studied. Dive with oceanographers at Monterey Bay; see geologists examine rock samples from the ocean bottom; watch a remotely-operated vehicle collect delicate marine samples. Join the crew of the Columbus Discovery ship as they sight a ship that sank in the 1800's. Classroom guest: Eugenie Clark, "The Shark Lady."
Each episode can be purchased separately for $24.95
