On September 21, 2012 third period PE students looked up to witness a landmark moment in time, as the space shuttle Endeavour made its final flight. As Endeavour, piggybacking on top of a jumbo jet, flew by, the majority of the students seemed curious about the object flying overhead and discussions began. It’s hard not to be interested in a space shuttle flying right over one’s head, for many science means hours of homework, dry textbook reading, and studying. Even in the 21st century, where major scientific discoveries are made regularly, many students interest in science can only be described as apathy.
With the discovery of the Higgs Boson Particle, advances in stem cell research, and the landing of the Mars rover Curiosity, 2012 has been an eventful year for the scientific community. But, as with the nation, Aragon student’s interests vary. Sophomore Danhel Fajardo says, “Stuff like the Mars rover is interesting because they [can] find life. It’s a new discovery, and it relates to you.”
Yahoo, and other sites which can be used to obtain information while surfing the web, fuel junior Akil Hamsath’s interest in science. “If I find something that catches my eye, I’ll look at it, but I’ll also purposely look stuff up that I hear about at school.”
Other students, who associate science with tests tubes, physics, and homework, show less interest in science. “I don’t really care [about the discoveries], but if it affects me—like the world’s gonna end—I’ll look it up,” says freshman Siva Etu. For students like Etu, the absence of a direct correlation between them and most new scientific discoveries greatly diminishes their interest in science.
On the other side of the spectrum, students enjoy the hands-on experience of science and find a stronger correlation between themselves and the discoveries. Sophomore Catherine O’Brien, who obtains scientific information on scientific blogs and shows like NASA, Bill Nye, and Cosmos, says, “I like to know how things work. Sometimes, I’ll do experiments with my microscope and do cross-sections.” In regard to new scientific discoveries, O’Brien says, “It’s cool that technology has advanced and that it could go so far to find a different type of life. The ‘Curiosity’ is cool in that it helps us figure out how to colonize [Mars].”
Sophomore Kelsey O’Donnell, president of the newly founded Aragon Science Club, shares O’Brien’s enthusiasm for science. “I have always loved science. Growing up, I was always exploring and asking questions,” she says. In explanation of her love of science, O’Donnell says, “Science is everything that happens. Everything comes back to it.”
O’Donnell hopes to spread her enthusiasm for science through her club. “The Aragon Science Club [is a place] for students to get to do what they don’t get to do in class,” she says. “We’re planning to go on field trips to the Academy of Sciences or like NASA.”
Katherine Ward, Aragon’s AP Biology teacher, has a great appreciation for science. “Science helps us understand why. It makes us appreciate the world and makes us part of it, and the more we know, the better decisions we can make,” she says.
However, when it comes to experiments such as the HiggsBoson particle, which deals with astronomically difficult subatomic structures, many people, including teachers like Ward have a difficulty comprehending the entirety of the experiment. Ward says, “Being a scientist doesn’t mean you have to know everything. It’s the beauty of it as well as the process of trial and error and actually seeing some evidence. Seeing someone actually succeeded in proving something like Higgs-Boson particle and knowing there can still be improvements made, is something to be appreciated.”
Ranging from the mechanics of the latest iPhone to the reason why someone feels groggy in the morning, science is everywhere. While few students at Aragon perform cross-sections in their free time, many students share a deep curiosity for the world around them. When Endeavour made her last flight, everyone outside turned his or her face to the sky. Famous science-fiction author, Ray Bradbury, describes a shared sense of fascination: “The best scientist is open to experience and begins with a romance—the idea that anything is possible.”
