SPI Science-based Stories: The Spark of Wonder
Modeling Curiosity for 4-12 Students
Meet Dr. Sherri A. (“Sam”) Mason who was the first to discover the presence of micro-plastics (including micro-beads and micro-fibers) in the Great Lakes, the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world. Sam’s research began following a moment of quiet reflection when sailing on Lake Erie.
From her SPI recording:
“The idea hit me as I was looking at the water. I was just watching the water and thinking about everything that I had seen, heard, and read about plastic pollution in the world’s oceans. I thought, here is the largest freshwater ecosystem in the entire world, which is really kind of hard for us to fathom but it’s true. There is more freshwater in the the Great Lakes than any other place in the entire world. And as much as we know about plastic pollution in the world’s oceans, I wondered if there was plastic in the Great Lakes. Well, that’s where it all started.”
“I wondered.” That simple phrase is at the core of every story in the SPI science collection.
Sam’s research has drawn international attention to the threats posed by microplastics in freshwater and led to the enactment of the federal Microbead-Free Waters Act. Other countries are following suit. The Canadian and New Zealand governments banned microbeads, and the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Sweden and other Scandinavian countries rolled out bans on microbead-laden products. As of the date of her SPI recording, 448 brands from 119 different manufacturers have promised to remove plastic microbeads from their products.
Dr. Mason also used her expertise to expand her focus to include the presence of microplastics in bottled water. The results of a study conducted by Dr. Mason analyzed bottled water from nine countries — the U.S., China, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Lebanon, Kenya and Thailand — and found that 93 percent showed some contamination from microplastics, or plastic debris less than one millimeter in length. Microplastics have also been found in samples of sea salt, freshwater sediment, and even in air samples.
Shown: Sam onboard the Brig Niagara, where she had her Aha! moment of wonder.
Sam’s full recording can be found in SPI’s 4-12 Learning Lab / Sciences. To listen to an excerpt, click here.
Meet Deepika Kurup who tells an inspiring story about the power of wonder. She relates how on family trips to India as a child she often saw children forced to drink dirty water — as a result, at age 14, she became determined to find to a way to ensure that everyone has access to safe drinking water. For an 8th grade project, the Nashua, New Hampshire teen invented a water purification system that uses a photocatalytic composite and sunlight to clean water — an invention which earned her recognition as America’s Top Young Scientist. And that’s just the beginning.
From Deepika’s SPI recording:
“Every summer my family and I visit India. That’s where my grandparents are and all my cousins. It is nice to be able to see them every year. In India the global water crisis is very prevalent. I would see first-hand people who don’t have access to the clean water that I do here in America. In America, for me, it’s easy, you just turn on a tap and you can easily get clean, potable water. In India you often have to boil the water to make sure that there is no bacteria or any harmful chemicals in the water before you drink it. However, outside, in the streets of India, I could see people that didn’t have access to the clean water that we did. That prompted me to start asking questions, as I always did. Why is it that these people don’t have access to the clean water that we do? And that’s really what prompted my interest in the global water crisis and to try to use science to help solve this problem.”
Deepika’s full recording can be found in SPI’s 4-12 Learning Lab / Sciences. To listen to an excerpt, click here.
How do you inspire wonder in young people?
“There’s no scientific evidence that you can “foster” curiosity as a trait — but you can create situations that prompt and guide a child’s curiosity.”
In her SPI story, Biomimcry Co-founder Dayna Baumeister shares:
“I can promise you that whatever entertainment you get out of a video game for thirty minutes will be far surpassed if you sit down somewhere in nature. Take your shoelace or whatever and make a square and just watch and observe. Give yourself a half an hour and you’ll be fascinated by what you discover. Getting outside has so many opportunities and it is really the critical first step – it really is.
Every habitat, every place around the world – even your backyard - offers an opportunity to learn something.”
Here’s a link to a great podcast for kids - by kids, called But Why?
Here is a listing of a few others in SPI’s Science collection:
Astronaut and Biolab Researcher, Jay Buckey
Wildlife Preservationist, George Schaller
Biomimicry Co-founder, Dayna Baumeister
Terrestrial Ecologist, Tom Wessels
Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysicist, Jonathan McDowell