November 12th, 2020
Experiment leads: Parth and Yutong
This year, the SFA KIPP team is devoted to bringing hands-on experiment experience to the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) twice a month on Thursday and Friday. In the first Thursday visit to KIPP, we had an engaging discussion with students on how SFA members became scientists. After a short introduction on what scientists do, we sent students to breakout rooms led by SFA members. On average, there was one SFA member and 2 KIPP students per breakout room.
In the breakout room, we first introduced what we do on a daily basis as scientists and then we encouraged students to talk about their favorite subjects in school. Many of them are interested in math and science. Then we discussed the difficulties they faced when studying a subject they are interested in. Students found it frustrating when they love math but cannot understand the concepts. We explained that this is exactly what scientists face in their research. Being curious is a great start, but being able to endure the frustration from failures and actively seeking for solutions are the key to being a scientist. We also asked what students imagine themselves to be in 20 years. Some want to become musicians, while some want to become doctors. During the visit, we tried to give advice on what courses students can take, but time was limited. Therefore, we shared our contact information with KIPP and welcomed students to ask any questions when they are curious about how to become a scientist.
