Hymns for Educators Students Alike

[AndrewBrinton1]

Dear readers,

If you decided to read this– be warned- this is not a (published) scientific article, nor is it a synopsis of some award-winning research. We'd all love that. This is meant to be a way for me to express my feelings about science towards those involved in science. To those who are professionals, maybe you'll get a kick out of this. To those who are mere students, maybe even high-schoolers like myself, hopefully you are inspired. My last major post on here was about something I wrote in ninth grade. Now I am in eleventh grade, nearly midway through my third year of high school at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, New York. 

Before we get started, some context:

As a child, I was fascinated by the world around me. Science had always played a major role in my life, and nearly every day between the ages of 3 and 11, I would wait outside my elementary school for my sister, gazing at waterfowl and the isolated chunk of trees, shrubbery, and meshes of vines that occupied the central island of Camman's Pond, a body of moderate saltwater that is behind the elementary school. The point is- science was ingrained into my brain as a child as something interesting. Something worthwhile. Something worth believing in. And while I am hopelessly scrambling to find someone to assist me in my future endeavors as a scientist and mentee, I felt it was necessary to put my thoughts into writing about these beliefs, beliefs I hold true to myself today. The only difference between me and my eleven-year-old self is that I have the ability to write somewhat more proficiently. Putting ideas out there and simply sharing thoughts with others as a young scientist is a challenge in itself, so if you are a scared little ninth grader or a world-renown scientist, I hope to leave you with this, if nothing else. Believe in science. It is both literally and figuratively the glue that holds our speck of life in an infinite universe together; so why not make it worth something? Finding a path as a young scientist is probably the most challenging thing you will do. Taking the first step towards you dreams is difficult, but with a little encouragement and inspiration, you can do something great. 

For me, I decided that using science as a force of good was what I set my mind to. Sure, the content and sheer exploration of scientific inquiry is an inexplicable pleasure in itself, but using it to benefit others is... different. It's a different feeling of accomplishment. As my father always put it, "the more you put in, the more you get out." Essentially, the harder one works, the larger the payoff in the end. When I decided to help others, I do not know. But what I do know is that as long as there is oxygen in my alveoli, salt gradients in my neurons, and most importantly, caffeine in my blood, I will use science for good. 

 

I just chuckled to myself. I find it comical that while others around me are drowning in ethanol, inhaling abnormal amounts of heavy metals, or even studying for exams (which I should probably be doing), I am legitimizing my scientific beliefs on a somewhat anonymous forum for quite possibly nobody to see, much less read. I digress.

 

Even reading so now- I may sound arrogant, experienced, and, dare I say, comfortable with my scientific thoughts. I am not in the slightest a professional scientist, nor am I an experienced editor, educator, researcher, or mentor. In fact, I am quite honestly the opposite of every one of those qualities. I am at the same time clueless, unknowing, a student, a learner, and most of all- an amateur. I grow plants on shelves in my room to study the effects of in home recycling and composting on bean plants. I do not, in any shape or form, have professional experience. But what I am experienced in is being unexperienced, if that made any sense. I have gone through a multitude of new experiences only 60 students my age across the nation have felt, and even so, I am further isolated, as my summer research was performed amongst not other high school students– but a slew of wonderful undergrads, grads, post-docs, Ph.D. students, and PI's– and thus I believe I have somewhat of a responsibility to talk about it. So maybe if there's even a single person who dreams of doing something big, helping someone, or simply exploring, treat this as the kick out of the door. Dream big. Do not let anyone stop you, no matter what. 

 

As a tenth grader in the Advanced Science Research program at my school, it is required to send out e-mails to possible contacts and mentors in attempt to grasp a research project for the following summer. Thus, students in my class sent out e-mails in a generic format advertising their blank slate of a persona to tens, even hundreds of acclaimed scientists and professionals in New York. I sent my e-mail to Alistair Rogers, one of the Principal Investigators at Brookhaven National Laboratory. I was outright ridiculed by some, and given many glaring looks by my peers. How could a student with virtually no experience ever seem like a valuable use of time, let alone a mentee, of such a popular and experienced scientist (popular being relative). 

 

They were absolutely right– but there was one flaw.

 

None of them even considered to do the same as me. Plenty of kids from the same districts, mainly in Suffolk County of Long Island, were from the same schools, and even applied together. I ended up being 1 of 3 kids from Nassau County who got into the program, and among the 59 other kids from New York and across the country I was the only one who was, for the most part, alone. That was mostly due to the fact that others around me were discouraged, even intimidated, by the idea of working at such a prestigious facility. The purpose of this is not to elevate myself above others, nor to put others down, but to point out that just because there seems to be an impossible challenge ahead, you can't give up. Trying is the most important part.

 

It's similar to how young birds first learn to fly. They get kicked out of the nest by the mother bird and gradually learn to take in the cold, tough, and dangerous world ahead. But without that kick, they wouldn't learn to fly. And without learning to fly, they would miss out on the great big world around them. In this metaphor, I am probably akin to the baby bird, calling from the ground to the others still cowering in the nest. Yes, my call is to the other younglings in the nest, but it also is a call to the mothers. Get a move on! Give those around you that kick to move into science. I notice as a student that teachers and adults sometimes neglect to view the world as a child/teenager, and in doing so, fail to give their students or children that extra kick to get out of the nest, so to speak. 

 

The moral is: dream big. I was stuck in the nest for nearly 15 years, but finding my passion through science and getting that kick from a few truly amazing teachers gave the the confidence and inspiration to get to where I am today– presenting, learning, and most importantly- generating discussion- about climate change, and the roles humans and plants alike play in it.

 

Hopefully you found this fruitful, and if not, at least I did. Science can seem scary from all of the huge words, big numbers, scientific titles, and researchers who are seemingly omnipresent on the pedestal of fame. I know it can be rough sometimes, and maybe your'e struggling to find motivation. I would gladly love to talk to whomever is willing to listen about the importance of science in young minds, and hopefully some of you educators out there, upon seeing this, would feel slightly moved to kick your birds out of the nest. Give them guidance on the ground, and slowly teach them to fly. Nurture them, and feed their young minds with the earthly fruits of existence, wonder, and curiosity. 

 

I mentioned before that I performed some research this past summer at Brookhaven National Laboratory. This post is getting long, so I won't bore you with a mass of words and pictures relating to drought stress. That will be for another post. 

 

If you enjoyed or have questions, feel free to e-mail me at andrewbrinton1@gmail.com , and don't be afraid to ask! Curiosity knows no limits once it is set free, and if you need some help unlocking the door, I would love to help in any way possible.

 

Sincerely, 

Andrew Brinton

John F. Kennedy High School

Bellmore, NY 11710

Advanced Science Research 

[hypervalent_iodine]

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Moderator Note

I appreciate the effort this took to write, but I must remind you that this is a discussion forum and not a blog. As such, I am closing this thread. If you wish to open a new thread, please be concise and please clearly state the points or questions you wish to discuss.