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Goodbye Mr. Wizard
Last night I came back very late from the Honeywell Users Group in Phoenix, and this morning I was planning on writing something related to that, but current events have intervened. This morning there is an obituary in the Tribune saying that Don Herbert died yesterday at age 89. As you have probably already concluded from the headline, Don Herbert was Mr. Wizard.
Those of us that are old enough (I was born in 1955.) remember his TV shows in the 50's and 60's. He apparently reached a second generation on Nickelodeon in the 80's. I also remember a book of his experiments that we had around the house that must have been my older brother's.
I have to wonder how many people in our business and general science / technology / engineering careers got their start effectively by watching Mr. Wizard. Add to that the influence of men like A.C. Gilbert (Erector Sets, chemistry sets, electric trains, etc.) and countless boys (Girls too, but that was back in the days of more overt gender typing, after all.) had ways to explore interest in science, mechanics and technology.
I could go on. What I don't see though, is what there is to appeal to a current generation of young people to fill that critical function. How many practicing structural engineers out there apply concepts they learned at age 12 with an Erector Set? How many chemical plant designers have applied Mr. Wizard's candle in the milk bottle demonstration as they consider the pressure rating of a vessel? Where are these lessons being learned now? As we confront a declining population of engineers, how can we fill that void? I suspect there are many who are open to suggestions.
Goodbye Mr. Wizard
June 13, 2007
Last night I came back very late from the Honeywell Users Group in Phoenix, and this morning I was planning on writing something related to that, but current events have intervened. This morning there is an obituary in the Tribune saying that Don Herbert died yesterday at age 89. As you have probably already concluded from the headline, Don Herbert was Mr. Wizard.Those of us that are old enough (I was born in 1955.) remember his TV shows in the 50's and 60's. He apparently reached a second generation on Nickelodeon in the 80's. I also remember a book of his experiments that we had around the house that must have been my older brother's.
I have to wonder how many people in our business and general science / technology / engineering careers got their start effectively by watching Mr. Wizard. Add to that the influence of men like A.C. Gilbert (Erector Sets, chemistry sets, electric trains, etc.) and countless boys (Girls too, but that was back in the days of more overt gender typing, after all.) had ways to explore interest in science, mechanics and technology.
I could go on. What I don't see though, is what there is to appeal to a current generation of young people to fill that critical function. How many practicing structural engineers out there apply concepts they learned at age 12 with an Erector Set? How many chemical plant designers have applied Mr. Wizard's candle in the milk bottle demonstration as they consider the pressure rating of a vessel? Where are these lessons being learned now? As we confront a declining population of engineers, how can we fill that void? I suspect there are many who are open to suggestions.
Posted by Peter Welander on June 13, 2007 | Comments (0)
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