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How can a talented teenager prepare himself for a scientific career? What do you scientists recommend? (Personal experiences, please).
My son is 16 years old and is very interested in science (Physics, Biology, Math). He would like to hear your recommendations on how to prepare for a scientific career. Is this a critical period to learn things that will be difficult to learn later? Are there non-academic experiences he should try? We are especially interested in personal experiences of all of you scientists out there.
Let me add that my son (Alon) is the one who nudged me a few times to post this question. He studies at a democratic school, meaning that he has full freedom to do whatever he pleases with his time at school. A big portion of his choices are science-related, but he does other things as well (basketball, juggling).
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Sigal and Alon
Steve Graeff
Believe it or not, this skill will serve him extremely well in the contentious world of science. It is good for society as well. No down side!
Joseph Donaher
The most functional science stems from curiousity and real-life questions that people ask to make their lives better.
Michael White
Ahmet Yükseltürk 500+
Utku Mun
Ken brown 30+
Gordon Springate
The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2010 was awarded to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene.
In 2000, Andre Geim was awarded the "Ignobel Prize" for his improbable research into the same subject!
People are so uncertain of what is not possible that they do not follow they work through to a conclusion!!!!!
Ken brown 30+
Angelica Alexander
Sean Sexton
Or Sagy
I'm just a bit older than Alon (and also from Emek Hefer), so I wouldn't say I fit in the description of a scientist (yet?). Nevertheless, I think I have a similar background to Alon, and I think I might be able to help a bit with my experience. At the moment, I'm a student at the Tel Aviv University (besides my high school studies at "Ben Gurion High School").
I read that Alon is also somewhat interested in robotics, so I would recommend he join (or found) a robotics team. I myself was a member of my high school team, founded and was head of my middle school team, and now teach excelling 2nd-3rd graders robotics. I would also advise you check about science-oriented summer camps and the like (I could refer you to a few, depending on which grade Alon sees himself as part of).
If any of this sounds appealing, I'd be glad to introduce myself, give you more info and refer you to the right people. Feel free to contact me at orlusai@yahoo.com.
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Jane Rigby
I agree with Jennifer Marchen's suggestion to remember that many scientists work outside of Universities; professors tend to encourage students toward academic careers because that's what they know best, but there are a wide variety of careers for scientists in industry, government, and academia.
As far as school goes, a solid grounding in Calculus, Chemistry, Biology, and Physics will serve a person well in a wide variety of Engineering & Science majors. High school doesn't need to be special/elite (I went to a rural high school), but a future scientist should take the hardest science & math courses available. That goes for the first two years of college, too.
My last bit of advice is to take advantage of summer jobs, internships, and research experiences in college, as many as possible and starting as early as possible, to find out what it's like to DO science, as opposed to learning science. The one is very different from the other! The only way to find out whether you like DOING science is to do science! I know scientists who fell in love with research during a summer project; I know students who fell out of love with science after the same sort of experience. Get in a lab, get a summer internship, and see what it's like!
Good luck, Alon!
Sigal Tifferet 500+
nik walser
My second piece of advice is to constantly remind yourself that every job ... even deep science ... is about people. Connect with people. Share with people. Learn from them. Work with them. Learn how to "sell" your ideas to them. Collaboration and consensus-building skills are often more important contributors to success than innovation or hard work.
Thirdly, and more tactically, no matter what career or job you find, technology plays a large part ... and will only play a larger part in the future.
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Eduardo Orue
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Jennifer Marchen
1. There are lots of jobs that require or would benefit from a good technical education
2. Academia is a tough nut to crack, much more so in science than in engineering. Many students have their sights set on becoming a professor and then realize that the international marketplace for professors is too competitive, requiring years of education and postdoctoral positions that pay very little, leaving many people disheartened.
My advice for someone in their teens would be to explore career options in science that do not necessarily end in being an academic "scientist." And then that option would still always be there. For example a degree in mathematics from a good university is very useful in fields as diverse as engineering, finances, geology, etc. Engineering is a great career (and I am, of course, biased) and is a great way to actually practice a science (and there are engineers who apply almost every science there is).
No matter what he chooses, your son will be competing on the international stage for positions. This means that it will not likely be his technical skills that will set him apart, but his soft skills. He needs to learn to write very very well. He needs to learn to lead and manage a team, to deal with stressful and changing situations, and to solve big problems in a multidisciplinary way.
In a sea of applications with virtually identical technical expertise this is what sets people apart. And you do not get this experience easily. Your son needs to challenge himself. Volunteering, organizing, writing, this is the making a great professional in any field, but stands out particularly in the sciences and leads to the most interesting work. And trust me on the writing.
Joseph Nemeth
What seems to be the way jobs are actually landed is knowing someone who knows someone who recommends you for a position. It's the people network.
My first position was through a friend I'd met in high school, who recommended me for a new opening on a project. He and I later started a business. When that failed, he sold the software to a guy who started calling me with technical questions, and then hired me. When I started to do contract software, I got jobs through people I'd met over the years.
I tend to think this is the "normal" method of finding work.
This is one very compelling practical reason to stick to doing what you like to do, in places that you like to be. You will tend to meet people with similar interests, likes, and needs, and they will become your "network" of job leads. If you enjoy what you spend time doing, you are much more likely to make a good impression in the first place, and it is more likely to lead to work that you find enjoyable.
This starts as early as grade school, continues through high school, and is especially rich in college. The really nice thing about this is that, if you remain natural about it, it's actually fun in and of itself.
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Sigal: He didn't like the comment about writing...
John Whitehead
Dr. Michael Katz
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Taylor Pratt
Christophe Cop 500+
Does he like to do experiments to figure out how things work?
Being skeptical (questioning everything) is also a good skill to fine-tune... maybe even some things about human logical fallacies...
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Sigal: Alon is skeptical from birth, this is one of the things I do foster in all of my kids, but I do believe much of it is genetic. His grandfather, for instance, specializes in decision making and fallacies (this is a popular area for Israelis, perhaps due to Tversky and Kahaneman).
Christophe Cop 500+
How come science works?
Sigal: :-) Tversky and Kahneman... very good psychologists! (I like them both)
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Christophe Cop 500+
I think your answer is one way to see it. And I don't think it is wrong.
I asked this question to myself, and that was what led me to investigate the philosophy of science, or rather to the central question of (what we call) epistemology ("explainology"): "how can we know what we know?" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistemology).
As science, through all the investigating and thinking and experimenting, appears to be a very good way to obtain knowledge.
So I think science actually follows the the answers to that epistemological question.
that said, I wanted to tantalize your interest in philosophy a bit... but I can understand that doing actual science (or using it,...) might be a lot more fun to do than philosophizing about it...
Edward B.
Noam Eisen
It is my experience that academia tends to shun practical knowledge. Throughout my life I have tinkered, designed, and built things, and now in university this experience puts me leagues ahead of many of my classmates when it comes to making things. At UPenn one may graduate electrical engineering without knowing even how to solder. My own experience, however, allowed me to work in a robotics lab already in my first year. I would recommend that Alon look into getting involved in real research or development related to the things he loves. It is always possible to learn formulas and techniques; what is essential to learn now is the intuition behind everything. This is learned best, I believe, through hands-on experience and experimentation.
Being an engineer, I would also like to raise the idea of engineering. I, too, loved science, and it wasn't until I learned some electronics, programming, and mechanical design that I realized engineering was what I loved - applying science to create solutions.
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Brian Faehndrich
At some point he will have to decide on a college program. My most successful past students are the ones that decided early what direction they were going to take and specifically went after a certain college program. They wound up being part of research teams or working on cutting edge projects a couple of years into post secondary.
In direct answer to your questions: Is this a critical period to learn things that will be difficult to learn later? Just get a strong traditional science knowledge base (physics, chem, bio, in that order please) so there is a good starting point to learn the more complex stuff later; Are there non-academic experiences he should try? Science is art, artistic expression and thinking expands his science ability, his ability to see more than one solution to a problem, his ability to ask unusual questions, keep up with the juggling!
Good luck with your education Alon, sounds like you have a great start and a mom who's lookin out for you.
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Sigal: Very nice answer, thanks!
Let me tell you a bit more about Alon's school. It is indeed very special. It is called the Democratic School in Hedera http://www.democratics.org.il/site/index.asp?depart_id=125189&lat=en.
The school has about 400 children ages 4-18. They are organized in three age groups: 4-8, 9-13, 14-18. They have to come to school every day as is the law in Israel, but in that time period they are free to do whatever interests them, in accordance with the state and school laws (you can't hit anyone...)
This allows a very wide range of possibilities. Some kids invest most of their time playing soccer, others play with their friends, and others spend most of their time studying. Most find a mixture that fits their needs and age.
The school is a humanistic school. Every person has the right for honor and self actualization. There is no difference between the students and the teachers in their rights. The school is governed by committees which are elected at the beginning of each year and comprise students, teachers and parents. Committees include: Trips, disciplinary, curriculum, events, student acceptance, teacher evaluation, budget, sports, music, library. Important questions are decided on in the Parliament which is open to all kids, parents and teachers, and each has one voice.
Any disciplinary problem is brought to the committee which judges if the person is to blame, and the punishment they deserve, if any. kids can bring a teacher to the committee, if they think she misbehaved. Judges sit in groups of 3, and change. They are mostly kids, as is with most committees.
Let me know if you have any questions, I find this a fascinating topic...
Brian Faehndrich
Sorry it took so long to respond. I meant chronologically... Physics is the basis of chemistry and biology is the chemistry of life. Learning biology before the others, as an example, would be like building a house and putting up the roof before pouring the foundation. In biology you would have no idea why DNA is double helix, or the important chemical interactions would have no context and it would seem more unbelievable, vague.
Love your description of the school. As a teacher it is a little scary to let go of that much control, but in reality students are only going to learn what they want to anyway so let them discover why and what they need to learn.
My motto... Education is not filling a bucket, it is lighting a fire.
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Education should work by pull, not by push.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/charles_leadbeater_on_education.html
Erich Rienecker
Your son needs one thing: To keep his eye on a career in science. Dont quit and he will get there.
Thats it.
Your still asking for more? OK.. He should take classes in fields that interest him, he should go do internships at labs and company's that sound "cool". He should keep his grades up enough to be taken seriously, but he should not give up the rest of his life for one single topic.
My colleagues dance, play music, or are passionate about surfing, or bicycles. Or about their kids. We are not all driven single topic workaholics.
As an example, when we get our flood of summer intern applications, we look for someone that "fits" much more than the one who graduated at the top of the class. We hire people we can work with.
Now, if he wants to be the chief scientist, the project manager, or the department head... well yes, the type AA personality that is driven is necessary. But at my institute, there are about 20 of them, and about 200 of the rest of us, all working, all in science.
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Bob Barboza
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Anna Czyrska
And trying to find way for them.
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Barry Li
Sigal Tifferet 500+
benny bornfeld
I went with my son (when he was 14-15 year old) to hear professor Eilam Gross from the Weizmann institute giving a series of popular lectures about physics to the general public.
His lectures were fascinating and inspirational. The lectures were given in the last 2 years in Mishkenot Shaananim which is a lovely place , I hope they continue to give it there.
Benny
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Nice to hear from you!
Thanks,
Sigal
Nick Adolfo
Vincine Fallica
Nick Adolfo
Vincine Fallica
If you allow me the presumption, what you actually meant in your last line was, “. . . so don't become so consumed with science and math THAT IT BECOMES THE ONLY creative expression in your life.”
I find that when I explain to people that they do artists and often themselves, a disservice when they define as ‘Artists’ only those traditionally associated with dancing, painting, etc. I maintain that people who at the top of ‘their game’, often have more in common with each other, regardless of what it is they do, than others who are in the same discipline.
I find when I have an opportunity to explain to people who consider themselves in an uncreative discipline, that artistry is independent of discipline, it challenges their self-perception. They reconsider how they do their jobs and perhaps remove some of their self-imposed limitations. They begin to see how they can use BOTH sides of their brains. It allows them to pursue a higher level performance, a higher level of satisfaction, and thus feel that they can make more of a difference, both to themselves and the rest of the world.
Which then we all benefit from.
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Budimir Zdravkovic 20+
Give him a few topics to read about if he seems interested. Encourage him to come up with his own hypothesis evdery once in a while if he is feeling up to it. See if there are any programs in research for high school students. I showed interest in science much later in my 20s and I did great, so I don't think there is a age limit for learning, but I think that the earlier you show interest in the subject the more you will benefit from it.
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Collin Sine
Vincine Fallica
I would suggest he design and execute experiments. I would suggest he apply the scientific method to something that intrigues him. He may not be able to investigate cold fusion, but there are many things that are accessible. It could be something concerning cooking, growing, engineering (balsa wood?) something sociological involving his friends or schoolmates, etc.
A collection of experiments: with analyzation, hypothesis, plan, execution, and review; thoroughly documented, will give him experience DOING science, something studying ABOUT science will never do. I’m not talking about re-creating an experiment with an already known answer, as he is likely to get doing lab work in school, but an experiment to obtain an answer that is actually unknown, at least to him.
Besides learning whether he does, in fact, like science, I would expect a portfolio of this work would not fail to impress gatekeepers charged to select candidates for any college or university, above and beyond whatever grades and scores he may achieve.
Sigal Tifferet 500+
Alon: Thank you for the advice. I am surely going to try this. We have a place in school which is designed for this kind of experiments (It is a special - democratic school). I did experiments in the past, but I never thought about writing them down.
Jan-Herman van Wermeskerken
The only thing I can do is share some life experience. I am 52 and have been a community pharmacist for most of my working life. In that time I have learned two things.
What parents want and what a child wants are often two different things.
If your child is as you say very talented, the child must be given the chance to develop those talents because, in my opinion, that is what a parent should wish for their child, it is probably most likely to make the child happy.
There are no garantuees. If your child is (exceptionally) intelligent, the child might decide at some point in the future that the chosen path is not the one and will want change. This is the responsability of the child and not the parent (in my opinion).
What a child probably wants (I am not an educator) is the unconditional love and support of those who are probably the most important people in his life.
If the child wants to go into the scientific arena, this is not easy, because it is now a vast area. Even in the fields you mention there is an enormous variety of choices. I am a polymath. But I have chosen something to focus on. The rest I do when I have time.
Also I have had the chance to travel and do things beside my work as a scientist. Those are fond memories.
I am not always happy (sometimes I feel I could do more with my talents), but generally I am content.
This I wish for your son. And of course yourself.
Sigal Tifferet 500+