During my first week in the lab, I experienced several game-changing moments in my understanding of real-world science. Thanks to the incredible people I have been working with, all the stereotypes and preconceptions of working in a research lab have been shattered. Instead of an institutional and clinical environment, I have found an organic and supportive place to try new things, fail, and problem-solve my way through unpredictable obstacles. Additionally, working in the fishbowl lab has reminded my just how exciting and approachable science can be. Several times I have looked up and seen parents and kids staring with wide-eyed curiosity as we were working. I was often so caught up in their interest that I ran out of the lab with a colony of ants, sat in the floor and was surrounded by kids that wanted to learn about what we were doing.

These experiences have driven me to recreate this experience in the classroom. I have been working to find ways of making the science we do accessible to other teachers and students, This week I am reminded of just how much we can learn when we are engaged and and excited about something. I have learned so much more about our project and the science behind it by living it rather than memorizing and testing. Also, the critical-thinking and problem solving aspect can not be overlooked. Working collectively, we were able to identify problems with our experiments and think our way through them. This kind of  collaboration and commitment only happens when people are driven and inspired to do their best work. Our students deserve that same kind of motivation and support.

Already this internship has reshaped my views on education. I always knew what seemed to work best for my kids but it has been extremely validating to see how effective problem-based, real-world experiences are in engaging and encouraging learners. My mentor and teammates are working hard to connect our research to school content and to find alternative resources to make our experiments accessible to all students and teachers. As we have become scientists our mentor has become a teacher. We share a common vision and a common goal of getting our science into classrooms world wide. It’s a lofty goal, I know, but nobody ever did anything great without thinking big.