Physics for Future Presidents
Beyond Four Walls
Some of us had stayed up all night; some of us had gone to bed early to awake before sunrise. We were bundled in layers and looked like a motley crew in the pursuit of any warmth to be had on a brisk 20 degree January morning. However, the throng of two million hushed immediately as President Barack Obama stepped up to give his first address as the 44th President of the United States.
While I took my place in history in Washington, DC, Physics for Future Presidents debuted within Science in Action on the exhibit floor of the Academy. On this day, visitors were able to think about the role science plays in a presidency. UC Berkeley professor Richard Muller aptly named the Physics for Future Presidents course and book to illuminate and educate the leaders of our future, whomever and wherever they may be.
His course became even more influential as it extended beyond the classroom. The course has a dedicated podcast on the web making his classroom virtual and readily available, which provides a valuable lesson for all of us. Virtual classrooms, speeches and influence have become a new territory for educators and politicians alike to navigate. In DC, JumboTrons projected the details of the Inauguration with only a few second delay. The effect was completely surreal as the echo of the speech reverberated down the mall.
In the past, the Academy influenced a president within the four walls of the museum. Herbert Hoover was a member of the California Academy of Sciences before becoming the 31st President of the United States. After his tenure of presidency, he became the first Vice President of the Academy and later retired an honorary member. Who knows? An Academy blog or podcast might influence a future president — all the more reason to build a strong foundation for virtual education and museums.
-Cat
(Footage courtesy of Change.gov, Obama photo, Jessica Lavin)
