Our science guru shows the way for youth to explore science
Recently, my nephew came to stay with us for a few weeks. We hadn’t seen each other in over a decade and he is at the age (17) where he’s deciding what to do with his life.
A couple of his pursuits, music and the theater, were very gratifying to hear about. But, beyond those things, he seemed slightly adrift.
He’s a staggeringly intelligent young man (handsome too!), so I asked, “What about programming? Or engineering?”
“What about them?,” he responded.
I came to learn that, where he lives, the sciences aren’t really given much consideration or pushed much in schools.
So, I began to give him a crash course in the basics of science. We also looked at some of the wilder things from the bleeding edge of scientific research, all of which he seemed to enjoy and be inspired by.
So, dear reader, if you too would like to inspire a young person to learn more about Science, here are some resources you can share with them.
TV Shows
Cosmos (Seasons 1 and 2).
The first season of Cosmos, hosted by Carl Sagan, was originally broadcast on PBS and is what made all the puzzle pieces fall into place for me. I loved Star Trek and science fiction, but I really didn’t understand the “Science” part of “Science Fiction.” The second season, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson is now on Netflix, and, while not quite as compelling, is definitely worth a family viewing.
MythBusters during the Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman years. Yes, they blow stuff up. But, no show in my lifetime has better exemplified the scientific method in a manner that’s so easily digestible by the general public.
They literally take urban legends and myths and test them scientifically to determine if they are real or not. And then, usually, they push it to the point where it literally explodes.
Add to this Adam Savage’s childlike glee with just about every part of the process, and you have one of the best “back door” science shows ever.
Books
Contrary to popular belief, many young people actually do love to read. So, here are some books go get them thinking in a more critical manner:
“The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark” by Carl Sagan.
This is a favorite of mine. In it, Sagan works to show the reader how science is the best tool we’ve got for separating fact from fiction, myth from reality and hard truth from wishful-thinking. Published over 20 years ago, it is, unfortunately, all too relevant to today’s world.
“On the Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin.
Yes, this is a little denser than a “normal” book, but it’s the king when it comes to laying out a hypothesis and proving it step by step and point by point. A tour de force of the scientific method.
The Internets
While books are still popular with some of “the kids,” the internet is where most of the youths get their information from these days. With that in mind, here are a couple of excellent science series you’ll find online.“Kurzgesagt—In A Nutshell” videos.
At first glance, this series of videos (which has its own YouTube channel), seems pretty lightweight. But, once you get beyond the birdlike mascot and simple animations, you’ll find yourself learning quite a bit about some of the meatier topics in Science.
In addition to covering simple things like, “How Big is the Moon?”, these videos also tackle cutting edge (and somewhat speculative) topics like “How to Build a Space Elevator” and my personal favorite, “The Most Efficient Way to Destroy the Universe.”
This video, about the terrifying prospect of “Vacuum Decay,” explains how the Universe might already be ripping itself apart at the speed of light. Morbidly fascinating, and definitely worth 6 minutes of your time.
“PBS Space Time” videos.
Currently hosted by Astrophysicist Matt O’Dowd, these longish videos (about 15 minutes each), tackle some very complex topics in depth. The thing I like about them is they never talk down to the viewer, and they aren’t afraid to challenge you.
Save these videos for later, when your youngster is looking for something beyond the basic materials suggested above.
There are, of course, more introductory science resources out there (*cough* The Library *cough*). But these six should help ignite the desire to learn more about Science in kids of all ages.
Steven W. Disbrow is the proprietor of “Improv Chattanooga” on the South Side of town. He also creates e-commerce systems and reads comic books when he’s not on stage acting like a fool.