Post by Elana Kananykhina, undergraduate at Portland State University. Elana is pursuing a minor in interdisciplinary neuroscience, and volunteers in Adie Rae Wilson-Poe’s cannabinoid research lab at Legacy Research Institute.
Last month we visited 4th graders in Portland Public Schools, and considered their compelling questions.
LEARN MORE: How to visit public schools
Who’s really good at asking “why?”
Kids and scientists.
Science is just as much (if not more) about asking questions than it is about finding answers.
Being in the scientific realm within academia can often feel very dry and goal-oriented, with rote memorization and mind-bending equations.
Experiencing NW Noggin outreach reminded me why I love science in the first place.
It’s making a career out of curiosity; kind of like being a kid forever, just a little bit bigger and in a lab coat. As they say – it’s about the journey, not the destination. It’s peeking behind the curtains of common sense and asking “why” again and again until you hit a wall.
“It’s the not the Destination, It’s the journey.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
As adults, we assume that we ought to just “Google it” when we have a question. We’re afraid of asking questions out of fear of sounding silly, but not doing so robs us of the opportunity to encourage dialogue that could lead to the newest discovery.
Sitting with 4th graders and letting their brains come up with questions about the brain was endlessly impressive and wildly inspiring. I look forward to joining future outreach events!