Adopt a Scientist!
Three physics groups -- The American Physical Society (APS), the American Institute of Physics (AIP), and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) -- are launching a joint pilot project called Adopt-a-Scientist. The goal is to show young people that pursuing a physics career leads to a wide range of opportunities, countering the stereotype that physics is a narrow or obscure discipline.
I am trained as a physicist. And so are lots of my friends. If you assembled us in a room and polled us on our current jobs, intellectual pursuits, and interests, you'd find an intriguing mix of similarities and differences. There is certainly a distinct quality and character associated with people who have trained in science; it will shape your mind in certain ways. But this type of training broadens a person, not limits them.
Here's some further information from APS, AIP, and AAPT:
Participants will engage in a short interview via email by high school physics students. Scientists will be provided with a list of questions in advance.
The interviews will be conducted by high school students. A small group of students will interview the scientist, then report back to the class on what they learned. As each group will be interviewing a scientist from a different category, it is hoped that the class will receive a broad description of what it means to be a scientist and realize the variety of options available within science.
This is a pilot project, so the scale is small. If it is a success, it will be expanded and repeated in future years. We've had a good response from scientists in academia and look forward to a similar response to scientists in industry.
Please forward this invitation to any scientists you feel may be interested. You can contact the project coordinator by telephone at (301) 209-3690 or by email at education@aip.org. Wee looking forward to bringing together scientists and students and we appreciate your assistance in making this program a success!
So if you are a high school student or a practicing scientist, please consider getting involved with Adopt-a-Scientist. My guess is that both groups will end up learning a lot.
By the way, I participated once in a similar program for people in math careers-- it was an essay contest sponsored by the Association of Women in Math, where women who use math in their careers are interviewed by students, and then the student produces an essay about them. I was interviewed by three students who largely got to structure the questions and resulting essay themselves, and it was greatly educational-- for me.
I enjoyed our email exchanges, and found myself exploring some of my own motivations and opinions, as prompted by their questions. I learned a few things about how my young interviewees think, and about how I relate to students who are looking at me through the lens of my being a "mentor" to them. Quite revealing.
I am trained as a physicist. And so are lots of my friends. If you assembled us in a room and polled us on our current jobs, intellectual pursuits, and interests, you'd find an intriguing mix of similarities and differences. There is certainly a distinct quality and character associated with people who have trained in science; it will shape your mind in certain ways. But this type of training broadens a person, not limits them.
Here's some further information from APS, AIP, and AAPT:
Participants will engage in a short interview via email by high school physics students. Scientists will be provided with a list of questions in advance.
The interviews will be conducted by high school students. A small group of students will interview the scientist, then report back to the class on what they learned. As each group will be interviewing a scientist from a different category, it is hoped that the class will receive a broad description of what it means to be a scientist and realize the variety of options available within science.
This is a pilot project, so the scale is small. If it is a success, it will be expanded and repeated in future years. We've had a good response from scientists in academia and look forward to a similar response to scientists in industry.
Please forward this invitation to any scientists you feel may be interested. You can contact the project coordinator by telephone at (301) 209-3690 or by email at education@aip.org. Wee looking forward to bringing together scientists and students and we appreciate your assistance in making this program a success!
So if you are a high school student or a practicing scientist, please consider getting involved with Adopt-a-Scientist. My guess is that both groups will end up learning a lot.
By the way, I participated once in a similar program for people in math careers-- it was an essay contest sponsored by the Association of Women in Math, where women who use math in their careers are interviewed by students, and then the student produces an essay about them. I was interviewed by three students who largely got to structure the questions and resulting essay themselves, and it was greatly educational-- for me.
I enjoyed our email exchanges, and found myself exploring some of my own motivations and opinions, as prompted by their questions. I learned a few things about how my young interviewees think, and about how I relate to students who are looking at me through the lens of my being a "mentor" to them. Quite revealing.
