“Connect a Million Minds” at Time Warner Cable Studios

As part of its initiative to inspire young people’s interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Time Warner Cable hosted over 300 students from NYC Boys & Girls Clubs to “Connect a Million Minds Day” at the Time Warner Cable Studios in Manhattan’s Meatpacking district on February 1, 2014.  Pro football player Victor Cruz and Food Network personality celebrity chef Anne Burrell hosted.  The event announced the launch of a partnership between TWC and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, dedicated to promoting interest in STEM subjects.

Attendees participated in fun, hands-on learning activities that demonstrated how science and technology are used in popular TV shows and networks, as well as sports, music and cooking.

“I didn’t like math when I was in school,” said Anne Burrell.  “But then I realized that every job in the world involves math.  As a chef, I use math and science every day in my career.  Cooking is one big experiment after another.”

Cruz and Burrell are partners with TWC on Connect a Million Minds, a five-year, $100 million pledge to promote science and technology.  Connect a Million Minds was launched in conjunction with President Obama’s campaign “Educate to Innovate”, focusing on new ways to engage young people in math and science.

Read on for our  Q&A with Chef Anne Burrell…

“Connect a Million Minds” is a $100-million initiative dedicated to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).  How does this initiative relate to the culinary industry?

AB: You cannot cook unless you have a knowledge of math and science.  Even if you don’t realize it, you’re always using some sort of science and math in whatever you’re cooking.  Even if you’re just making some toast for breakfast or a cup of coffee!  For example, you might not be thinking about the degree temperature for “carmelization” in a complicated recipe, but you need to know it, and that’s all a part of science.  When you’re writing recipes or using recipes, math is invaluable—measuring, timing—it all comes into play.

What inspired you to become involved in this initiative?

AB: To be honest, I was a terrible student. It was probably because I didn’t understand the practical applications of math and science.  They were very abstract subjects to me.  If someone had connected the dots, connected my mind to the how these subjects could relate to my life, I might have been a far better student, or gotten on a career path sooner.  If I can help a young person do that now, even one person, that’s the reason I believe in this.