Photo by mandj98 (CC BY:)

Who could have ever guessed that physics would play such a large role in drawing people toward open education resources? From the recent news story showcasing MIT Professor Walter Lewin and his highly entertaining Classical Physics video lectures to the featured Astrophysics course of Yale professor Charles Bailyn we can now add the work of University of Nebraska physics professor, Diandra Leslie-Pelecky. In today’s New York Times, Science Times article “Nascar’s Screech and Slam? It’s All Aerodynamics” John Tierney highlights Pelecky’s use of NASCAR and ‘the excitement of motorsports’ to get elementary and middle school students interested in science, math and engineering. If the thought of tailgating a car at 200mph has your middle schooler (or you) eager to learn more about computational fluid dynamics or static friction, then venture over to Pelecky’s website: Building SPEED (Science Participation: Education, Engagement and Diversity). The website, which is still in development, aims to create and share educational materials that use transportation as a way to teach the principles of the National Math and Science Education Standards. If physics professors can use NASCAR to attract people to open educational resources, I can’t wait to see the strategies educators might employ for, say, Media Studies.