I work as an engineer, and I couldn't have come up with a show that did a better job promoting science/engineering while also being immensely entertaining. Here is a list of my reasons.
1) Scientists/engineers get to show their ingenuity at problem solving. I often laugh at the end at how clever their results are.
2) I feel better about people after watching. I've only seen 1 instance of bad behavior(team hoarding parts) made up for with teams happily sharing parts with opponents. This may also be due to the prize being a cool trophy rather than a lot of money.
3) Victory is achieved by working with your team to solve a hard problem. This is in contrast to other reality shows which seem to emphasize how well someone can scheme and manipulate other contestants.
4) You learn some of the science behind the designs. This is a show that makes both kids and adults smarter for watching.
5) It teaches the unspoken principals of engineering. 5a) Equipment/software is far from perfect, and you need to come up with a work-around. 5b) What gets built can behave in surprising ways, and you need to figure out why and fix it or work with it. 5c) Success is achieved by imagining multiple design ideas, and understanding the pros/cons of each choice. 5d) You have to trust and rely on every member of the team to do their job right.
1) Scientists/engineers get to show their ingenuity at problem solving. I often laugh at the end at how clever their results are.
2) I feel better about people after watching. I've only seen 1 instance of bad behavior(team hoarding parts) made up for with teams happily sharing parts with opponents. This may also be due to the prize being a cool trophy rather than a lot of money.
3) Victory is achieved by working with your team to solve a hard problem. This is in contrast to other reality shows which seem to emphasize how well someone can scheme and manipulate other contestants.
4) You learn some of the science behind the designs. This is a show that makes both kids and adults smarter for watching.
5) It teaches the unspoken principals of engineering. 5a) Equipment/software is far from perfect, and you need to come up with a work-around. 5b) What gets built can behave in surprising ways, and you need to figure out why and fix it or work with it. 5c) Success is achieved by imagining multiple design ideas, and understanding the pros/cons of each choice. 5d) You have to trust and rely on every member of the team to do their job right.