From Elementary Science to High School Studies: Student Voices
June 2022
This Spring, we've heard from student voices of all ages, from Kindergarten to High School! Our Champions of Discovery Challenge demonstrated how students are inspired by visiting scientists, but how often do these moments make lasting memories that lead to future aspirations? This Spring we set to answer this question with our Student Intern, Saiyana, an Albany High student. After surveying 146 of her peers, we were delighted to find that even in high school, elementary science can have a lasting effect on future aspirations
Elliot, a senior at Albany High, first started learning about plants in his second grade science class. He did an experiment with his class where he sprouted beans in different conditions. Years later in 8th grade Elliot worked on a research project about medicinal plants. This sparked an interest in immunology and microbiology which led him to participate in a research project through a program called Cosmos. In this program he came up with a research question and procedure which his mentor, a professor at UC Davis, gave him feedback on. Elliot researched surface microbiota on succulents vs non succulents. The program sent him the lab materials he needed and he would have zoom meetings with his mentor to ask questions.
A recent survey of high school students in Oakland and Albany showed
- 43.8% of students remembered a specific moment when they became interested in science
- 21.2% of high school students surveyed remembered having a scientist come into their classroom
- 40.4% of students have had a science mentor, like Elliot, who was inspired from a science experience in elementary school and then went on to do a research project with a mentor.
For Buiry, a senior at Albany High School, the revelation that she wanted to work with animals came from a family trip to six flags. She was captivated by the dolphins and dolphin trainers she saw there. Whenever she went to the zoo she would feel jealous of the animal keepers who got to handle and take care of the animals. “I’ve always just wanted to be with animals since I was younger” Buiry said. This interest has lasted through the years and she decided to go into marine biology in order to rescue injured or sick marine animals.
Other high school students in our survey, like Jorge, wrote about how science applies to their everyday activities such as baking, gardening and skateboarding. Jorge, a senior at Oakland Technical High School, is enrolled in a special program where he takes a small biotech lab class. In this class he’s done projects ranging from replicating DNA to a lab testing for E. Coli. In this class Jorge has discovered his passion for biology which he is planning on studying throughout college. He also uses some of the skills he learned in AP Environmental Science such as making compost and growing plants in his school garden to help his mom in her garden. He waters their peach and lemon trees and plants tomatoes, furthering his learning of biology outside of the classroom.
For the students in BASIS, Be A Scientist, or the Champions of Discovery Challenge, we want them to have the same experiences with science: science outdoors, applying it to hobbies, pursuing a scientific interest, and receiving guidance from a scientist mentor. We cannot wait until they are in high school to do this, as longtime supporter of CRS, Professor Bergman says, these experiences are best to "start as early as possible." With your support, we can!