Hot classes the perfect chance to teach STEM

PRACTICAL, EVERYDAY problems, such as hot classrooms in August, are perfect for teaching math and science. The results will quickly provide cooler classrooms and better-than-STEM experiences for the students.

As far as quick solutions go, night ventilation of the classroom is simple and cheap. Application of night ventilation is chock-full of basic math: units, measurement, areas, volumes, percentages, scale factors, ratios and more advanced calculations. Fascinating and tangible, the related science experiments are true learning that will last a lifetime.

There are numerous other ways to cool the classroom, from low-cost to wastefully expensive. Warding off the sun load, insulation, better swamp coolers and the queen — refrigeration — suggest many solutions across the spectrum. Each of these provides a real way to teach math and science.

Several benefits accrue to the students, the teachers and the people of Albuquerque. Students learn practical math and science. They will do better on their tests. They do the work and see the results. Teachers get a new way to improve test scores. APS reduces costs for cooling. Citizens of Albuquerque get a better educated populace.

New Mexico has a rich history in using the sun — and the cool, clear nights — for making life pleasant in the desert. From the Pueblos, the Anasazi, to the passive solar revolution in the mid-20th Century, New Mexico has garnered a knowledge base and numerous experts in the field. Ask them; it will likely improve public education. PAT GALLAGHER Albuquerque