Wetenschap is niet stoffig
De uit Ierland afkomstige wetenschapper Barry Fitzgerald is aangesloten bij de TU Eindhoven en hij gaf begin september aan de leerlingen van de eindexamenjaren van zowel havo als atheneum een inspirerende lezing over zijn onderzoek naar superkrachten van Superhelden. Hij leverde het bewijs dat wetenschap absoluut niet stoffig is. Hij was te gast op De Ring in het teken van de aftrap van het aankomende PWS-jaar (profielwerkstuk), waarin de leerlingen zich tot de kerstvakantie gaan bezighouden met het uitvoeren van een wetenschappelijk onderzoek. Barry heeft toegezegd dat hij aanwezig zal zijn bij de presentaties van de onderzoeken in januari. Zijn verslag van zijn bezoek aan onze school vindt u hier.
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School talks for autumn kick-off with return to De Ring van Putten and “A Superhero’s Guide to Scientific Research
”It’s always great to return to a school to share more science-based stories inspired by superheroes, Star Wars, and other popular culture icons. On Tuesday September 3rd I was invited back to De Ring van Putten in Spijkenisse to speak to mavo and havo students as a kick-off for their big project assignments, which they will be working on over the coming months.
Superhero support
To help them navigate the world of science and the process of scientific research, I showcased some of the topics that I’ve been researching over the years such as invisibility materials, spider silk, and light. There to offer moral support was a select few of my superhero and supervillain crew (You can’t have superheroes without supervillains – hence the inclusion of Thanos). And they even took part in the experiments too.
Embrace failure
As I concluded my interactive session, I reminded the students that they should embrace failure. With this statement I do not suggest that they should aim for failure. Instead, they shouldn’t run away from failure and use setbacks as the motivation to strive for success in whatever project they are working on. The students at De Ring van Putten will present their final project outcomes next year, and I look forward to hearing some of the student presentations and the brilliant innovations that they devise over the coming weeks.
A huge thank you to Charles Julien and Annemieke Goelema for inviting me to speak at De Ring van Putten once again, and for hosting me during my visit to the school. And best of luck to all of the students at the school with their upcoming project work! Always think super! Barry W. Fitzgerald, September 2024.https://bwscience.com/return-to-spijkenisse-with-spider-man-and-research-lessons-from-superheroes/.
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