NBC News' educational arm, NBC Learn, is teaming up with the United States Golf Association (USGA) and Chevron Corporation to release the "Science of Golf"- an informative 10-part video series narrated by NBC Sports' lead play-by-play anchor Dan Hicks that explores Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) topics through the lens of one of America's most iconic sports. Made especially for students and teachers to use in the classroom, these videos will be aligned to lesson plans and national state education standards, and are available to the public cost-free on NBCLearn.com/Golf (http://www.nbclearn.com/golf).
In addition, the three organizations announced they are providing the award-winning "NBC Learn K-12" learning resource to more than 500 middle and high schools in 14 districts across the country. The gift grants schools two years' worth of access to the rich collection of
NBC News videos, primary source documents, images, and resources specifically designed for use in the K-12 classroom.
The school districts receiving access to these
NBC Learn resources include the following: Houston Independent School District, TX; Washington D.C. Public Schools; St. Bernard Parish Public Schools, LA; Jefferson Parish Public Schools, LA; St. Charles Parish Public Schools, LA; Plaquemines Parish Schools, LA; St. James Parish Schools, LA; St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools, LA; Washington Parish Schools, LA; San Francisco Unified School District, CA; Oakland Unified School District, CA; School District of Philadelphia, PA; Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, NC; and Wake County Public School Systems, NC.
STEM is as important to the game of golf as tees, clubs, balls and a good swing. "Science of Golf" aims to highlight the value of STEM by using golf as the medium for the message. Students and teachers will see how the principles of science affect everything about the game-from a player's golf swing, to the anatomy of a golf ball, the math behind golf scoring, and the evolution of the golf club.
"In partnering with the USGA and
NBC Learn we have been able to develop what we think is a truly unique series of videos - taking a peek behind the scenes at the science of golf and hopefully inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists," said Glenn Weckerlin, Director, Programs and Partnerships of Chevron. "We have made 'The science of' videos as well as the entire portfolio of
NBC Learn resources available, to provide innovative content that might not otherwise be available to the schools."
For each piece of the series, an expert from the USGA scientist explains the selected scientific principle, while the golfers describe how these principles apply to their game. The science is broken down by capturing the golfers' movements with a state-of-the-art, high-speed Phantom camera, which has the ability to
Capture movement at rates of up to 10,000 frames per second. These dynamic visuals allow for frame-by-frame illustrations of specific scientific principles such as displacement, buoyancy, kinematics, acceleration and velocity. The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) will provide lesson plans for teachers that accompany the videos created by
NBC Learn.
"We are proud of our collaboration with Chevron and
NBC Learn to use golf as a way to bring education to life," said Sarah Hirshland, the USGA's Senior Managing Director of Business Affairs. "The new video series showcases the STEM principles that play a key role in a variety of USGA functions, including equipment testing, environmental research, and scoring. We hope these videos inspire students of all ages, whether they are enjoying the game or learning in the classroom."
In addition to its subscription resources,
NBC Learn also produces original video collections that are made available for free on NBCLearn.com. These include the Emmy Award-winning "Science of NFL Football," and "Science of the Winter Olympic Games" collections, as well as "Changing Planet" and "Chemistry Now."
"Building on the innovative 'Science of Sports' franchise, we're thrilled to partner with the USGA and Chevron to expand the series to include golf, as well as create strategic partnerships that enable our award-winning digital learning content to be used free of charge," said Soraya Gage, General Manager of
NBC Learn. "These one-of-a-kind videos have set a new precedent for teaching science in the classroom, by breaking down difficult STEM concepts and illustrating their real-life application through sports."
About
NBC Learn
NBC Learn is the educational arm of
NBC News dedicated to providing resources for students, teachers, and lifelong learners. The online resources
NBC Learn has created for the education community leverages nearly 80 years of historic news coverage, documentary materials, and current news broadcasts. "NBC LEARN K-12" gives students and teachers access to thousands of video clips from the
NBC News archives, including great historic moments - from the Great Depression to the Space Race to the latest political coverage.
NBC Learn also offers primary source materials, lesson plans and classroom planning resources, and additional text and image resources from our content partners.
About the USGA
The USGA conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open, as well as 10 national amateur championships, two state team championships and international matches. Together with The R&A, the USGA governs the game worldwide, jointly administering the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, Equipment Standards and World Amateur Golf Rankings. The USGA's working jurisdiction comprises the United States, its territories and Mexico.
The USGA is a global leader in the development and support of sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game's history and funds an ongoing "For the Good of the Game" charitable giving program. Additionally, the USGA's Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six continents in more than 50 countries.
For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org.
About Chevron
Chevron is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.
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