I am currently sitting in a glass-walled work room in Hunt Library on NC State’s campus. This building is one of my favorite spaces–its design could serve as a model for an amazing middle school someday.

In this room, I can control the temperature and lighting. I can wirelessly connect my laptop to the television for collaboration if needed. I can set a “noise-masking” function for the room if I were a middle-schooler in a group trying to plan a top-secret presentation that would blow my classmates’ minds. From the windows, I see thousands of books in rows on shelves set against a background of healthy, green trees. I can gain perspective here.

Location is important. For the past three weeks, the Students Discover group of Kenan Fellows has been located in the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and many of us stayed in the Holiday Inn downtown. This common location has provided ample opportunity for working together, challenging each other, discussing crazy ideas, dreaming, supporting, celebrating.

We’ve had success with some pretty lofty goals. I can’t explain how impressed I am with Team Dirt for making science accessible for students and teachers will little funds and support. Those of us who believe in public education because of the opportunity that it provides for everyone are grateful for Team Dirt giving priority to making their project accessible. Team Ants made videos of ants’ behaviors so that even a class with limited equipment can participate in their project. Team Jaws is utilizing 3-D printing of sharks’ teeth to open their project to teachers and students who do not have access to actual shark teeth. Those of us on Team eMammal are connecting interested teachers with the museum to gain access to high quality camera traps. We’ve all spent considerable time making our lesson plans approachable for teachers who have not participated in the fellowship.

And, at times, it has been frustrating:
What in the world are these numbers I’m looking at?  I’m not sure I’m cut out for this.
Why are there so many meetings?
I can’t concentrate with a thousand people talking.
WHY DOESN’T THE WIFI WORK?

But the amount of support from each other, Kenan, Your Wild Life, the museum, Students Discover, our post-docs (Thanks again, @FancyScientist!), etc. etc. was overwhelming and allowed us to overcome our challenges.

For the past three weeks, I’ve only been in one location with eleven other Kenan Fellows. There are Kenan Fellows all over the state accomplishing similar things. And on Monday, all 42 of us will be reunited in this library for three days to round out our summer experience. We will undoubtedly recount our successes and failures and challenges and accomplishments and be presented with a time and space to reflect, discuss, dream, support, commiserate, celebrate. And we’ll all gain perspective. Location is important. Looking forward to being together on Monday!

 

 

 

Team eMammal!