I know one of the math and science teachers in the small town where I work who's very encouraging to students interested in STEM careers, and I suggested that I forward to him all my technical trade magazines, such as Control, Machine Design, NASA Tech Briefs, etc. for use in his classes. He liked the idea, and now I periodically and take them to him.
Sometimes he assigns the students papers to write and has them use the magazines as source material, but he recently told me that he thinks the best use may just be having them peruse them to find interesting articles. This spikes their interest and gives them a broader concept of these areas. Sometimes I flag a given article with a sticky note if I think it's especially interesting. I don't know if this helps, but it doesn't take much time on my part and allows me to point out material that stands out in some way.
It may be a small thing to do, but it's better than throwing the magazines in the trash when I'm done with them.
Ben Peters
Pittsburg, Kan.
