Let us inspire young people with stories in science  

by Jessica Tsai and Fanuel Muindi (originally published by The STEM Advocacy Group)  Download PDF

 || What is your scientific origin story? When did science first captivate you? Who were the people who truly engaged you in the scientific process and taught you how to think? As scientists, we often forget – and do not share enough – those experiences that inspired us into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the first place. Yet, young people must hear these experiences, or scientific origin stories, as part of their training. A platform for sharing STEM stories is urgently needed to capture these narratives and share them with young people around the world.

We often get bogged down in the day to day obstacles – failed experiments, struggles to obtain funding, and the publication process, just to name a few. But, amidst these challenges, it is imperative that we do not forget our passion for discovery in science. We must start from the beginning, reflecting deeply on those experiences that ignited our scientific fervor. Even tenured academic scientists need to be reminded of the first sense of curiosity that guided them into the scientific life. And ultimately, we must share this excitement with others.

We implore scientists to share their sense of wonder and encourage young people to explore bravely and question everything about the natural world. As scientists, it is our responsibility to demonstrate that science is a medium by which we learn to think. It is critical that we emphasize to youth that failure ought to be embraced rather than feared. The time has come for scientists to collect and share their scientific origin stories with young people around the world.

CSML Intelligence Team

Civic Science Media Lab (CSML) Intelligence delivers rapid analysis based on our reporting and ongoing landscape work, providing synthesized insights into the latest developments shaping the civic science landscape.