Did you know that the executive producer and head writer of The Simpsons is a Harvard mathematics grad? (Several of the show’s other writers also have science/math backgrounds too.) Al Jean is interviewed in this week’s Nature about how the show blends comedy and satire with math and science. Famous scientists like Stephen Hawking have made appearances and mathematical references have popped up in various episodes. (In case you hadn’t heard, The Simpsons movie is opening this week.)

My favorite quote from Jean:

Generally our depiction of scientists is that they’re insular and have bad social lives, and say things in an obscure fashion that isn’t always comprehensible to the layman. From my limited experience in the scientific world I wouldn’t say it’s completely off the mark.

And here’s a list of the greatest science moments in the Simpsons. Apparently, there are some Nature staff who have watched a lot of episodes.

And speaking of blending science with pop culture: MIT is “running a 4-week summer program for local middle school students”:https://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/27/mits_learning_curve/ about the physics of baseball. It’s an attempt to turn young kids on to science by showing its relevance in sports. The kids spend the mornings in the classroom and the afternoons out in the ballpark.

A friend of mind used to teach science at a high school in Chelsea and he struggled to make science fun and relevant to them. Programs like this could really help. I hope MIT can come up with something similar to appeal to girls.