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Vanderbilt Summer Program (Science Outreach Program)


dkarri 2 / 5  
Feb 28, 2010   #1
The question that I have to answer is what event in your life has caused your interest in science?

I have sat all day trying to think of a solution but I can not come up with anything. Does anyone have a brainstorming technique I can use?
EF_Susan - / 2,364 12  
Mar 1, 2010   #2
There is a technique called 'clustering' that might help you;
Write down the word 'science' in the middle of a page, and circle it. What words does it make you think of? You might think, 'bugs', from when you were a kid, or 'batteries', from when you first wondered how things worked. Circle the words as you go, and if 'bugs' makes you think 'frogs', ...well, here is a link to what I'm talking about;

gabrielerico.com/Main/ClusteringSampleVignettes.htm

I hope it helps you!
EF_Kevin 8 / 13,321 129  
Mar 2, 2010   #3
I have sat all day trying to think of a solution but I can not come up with anything.

Then you must not be inteested in science! Think about anything you are truly interested in. Whatever it is, you definitely can give a reason why, because you are enthusiastic about it.

If you are not even enthusiastic enough about science to think of an event that got you excited about it... then you must not have many memorable experiences with it.

What kind of science is it that you are interested in, anyway? When I was graduating high school, if someone asked me if I was interested in science I would have said no... but that was when I thought I was an artist type instead of a science type. Now I know that science is profound art... so I like both art and science.

I hope you try a few different kinds of jobs to see what you will really enjoy doing for your career. That wll help you learn what your interests are in science, what kind of work you want to do. Figure it all out for sure, so that you can choose the appropriate classes.

As for a brainstorming technique, sometimes it is just all about waiting until later in the day. Sometimes it is just not a tim for writing. But maybe now, as you look at several essays here at EssayForum, you will start to get inspired about a profound idea you have had, something that makes science a spiritual practice or a source of satisfaction, and you will suddenly start writing about that moment -- which does not have to involve any spectacular event -- but it was a moment when you really envisioned yourself working as a __________(fll in the blank.)

Write about that moment! You know the moment!
OP dkarri 2 / 5  
Mar 5, 2010   #4
Thanks for all your help, the clustering idea helped a ton. I realized my interest in scientists and history has spurred my interest in science and my ambition to pursue a career in science.

rf_Kevin:
"Then you must not be inteested in science! Think about anything you are truly interested in. Whatever it is, you definitely can give a reason why, because you are enthusiastic about it."

No hard feelings, but science is my life...
EF_Kevin 8 / 13,321 129  
Mar 6, 2010   #5
No hard feelings, but science is my life...

Yep, I don't doubt it... I'm just playing the devil's advocate because it's my job. So, I'll scrutinize you this way, too:

If you say "science is my life," it seems like you are referring to all science -- chemistry, physics, biology, computers... strictly speaking, everything in life can be science if you approach it using the scientific method. So, you need to be more specific! What kind of science? Even if you love all science, you must choose some areas to specialize in.

Maybe you want to specialize in researching bioelectricity and explaining how acupuncture works...
OP dkarri 2 / 5  
Mar 11, 2010   #6
A smoky, dimly lit room. Poor Ventilation. A middle aged man circumscribes the lab station. He has a yellowed notebook and a philosophy text in his hands. Two anxious, red eyes persistently scrutinize the pair of boiling, broth-filled bottles en col de cygne (flasks with a swan shaped duct), which rest approximately 10 centimeters from each other. 35 hours later... The man is busy scribbling. Glass shards lay on a work bench next to the man; both flasks remain on the table but one is broken open. The philosophy manuscript is open, Chapter 7: Spontaneous Generation and Genesis. Soon, the man arcs his back and takes a nap. The next morning... The broken flask is teeming with bacteria; the other sits relatively unchanged. The man arises and rubs his eyes. His scrutiny of the flasks has increased, but there is a sense of enlightenment and satisfaction. The man departs for breakfast. That man is Louis Pasteur.

More than a century later, a young 6th grader is gleefully observing a pair of two flasks closed with stoppers. RING, RING! The dismissal bell rings, yet the boy does not budge; he is determined to remain and take quality notes. Mrs. Smith approaches the boy and states, "The bell's rung, time for you to go". She repeats, "It's time to go". Hesitantly, he gets up, turns off the Bunsen burners, takes off a stopper out of one of the flasks, and leaves. A few mornings later, the 6th grader rushes back and closely scrutinizes his flasks; there is a speck of green bacteria in the opened flask. Later that day, Mrs. Smith explains, "About 150 years ago, a scientist named Louis Pasteur conducted this experiment. It is because of him that we are healthy today". The teacher went on with her lecture, but the inquisitive boy stared at the back of the room, at the green speck of bacteria. That boy was Dileep Karri.

As I further researched Pasteur during the remainder of middle school, I realized that science was not only the scientific method but also a type of art. Pasteur's idea was structured and relatively simple, but it required a commendable amount of ingenuity. When Pasteur first established his paper on Omne vivum ex ovo, biogenesis, it was not readily accepted. His experiment challenged the viewpoints of that time. However, Pasteur went on and repeated his experiment throughout Europe in order to convince others of his results. He was persistent.

My 6th grade replication and later research has greatly influenced my interest in science, but why? From Pasteur's experiment, I came to see science as a field of study in which, I can express my ideas and thoughts for the world in a structured and creative way. I saw science as an ocean of opportunity where I may search for answers to explain day to day phenomena, as Pasteur did. Pasteur's experiment required character, as I saw in my experiences with science fair. Science, I believe, is the key to society's progress.

How is it?
EF_Kevin 8 / 13,321 129  
Mar 12, 2010   #7
A smoky room. Poor v entilation and dim lighting. A middle aged man circumscribes maneuvers around the perimeter of the lab station.

More than a century later, a young 6th grader is gleefully ----- no need to say "young" when you are saying 6th grader.

Yes, this is great stuff; I can see how serious you are about it, and many students don't have very serious academic interests.
My 6th grade replication and later research have greatly...


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