We interview professors and local professionals about the real problems in their fields that need solving, and how a high schooler can start helping now.
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University of Washington · Seattle, Washington“You will never get to where you want to go if you stop trying”Infectious disease doctor Ana Weil on knowing in high school she wanted to study infections, why she studies cholera from Seattle, and the hundreds of emails that never got a reply.Read the interview12 min readNC State Extension · Charlotte, North Carolina“It’s a spark, and don’t let anyone else put it out”4-H agent Jake Yambor on finding his job by staying open, starting with what is in your own backyard, and why you shouldn't let anyone put out your spark.Read the interview9 min readUniversity of Arizona Cooperative Extension · Phoenix, Arizona“Start small, start in your home”How to keep scorpions out without spraying, why you don't need to know everything to start, and moving across the world to study insects.Read the interview13 min readNASA Johnson Space Center · Houston, Texas“Believe in yourself and go for it”NASA scientist Paul Abell on going from a small town to studying asteroids, what teens can do from their own backyard, and why you are not bothering anyone when you email.Read the interview10 min readPrairie View A&M University · Prairie View, Texas“Soil is not dirt”Soil scientist Richard Griffin on getting his start in FFA, a Houston flood project with a nail and a cork, and why soil is not dirt.Read the interview9 min readTexas A&M AgriLife Extension · Houston, Texas“Everybody had to start from somewhere”Horticulture agent Michael Jimenez on going from engineering to EMT to plants, what Houston teens can do this month, and why everybody had to start from somewhere.Read the interview11 min readUniversity of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix · Phoenix, Arizona“The best way to do anything in life is to ask questions”Biochemistry and genetics professor Vasudeva Kamath on asking questions, exam chasing, and why anything you learn is not useless.Read the interview13 min readUC Cooperative Extension · Salinas, California“If you think you’ll like it, just try it”Farm advisor Nicholas Clark on finding agriculture by accident, what teens can do this month, and why you should keep emailing until someone writes back.Read the interview10 min read
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Each interview will be posted here with short clips and a written summary, and every guest approves it before it goes up.
