Maya's 7th Grade Frustration Led To Her College Major
Maya Nelson is a Biochemistry graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder
Maya Nelson recently graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder.
The Science Fair
Maya’s middle school biology teacher, Mrs. Moore, made all her students participate in the Science Fair.
Each student had to find an independent science project work on it over the course of the school year,
And present like at a Science Fair at the end of the year.
The Project - Geotropism
Maya was so stressed about finding the perfect project, that she was scouring the Internet for days trying to find, what she calls “a real science project”.
Finally she chanced upon a project which talked about Geotropism in radish roots.
Geotropism, she found out, is how plants respond to gravity;
At that time it sounded like a huge, very scientific word.
That was enough to catch her interest!
Winning
She read everything she could about Geotropism:
What is it?
Why does it happen?
But, she didn’t find a good explanation, that wasn’t complicated for a 7th Grader and satisfy her curiosity.
Nonetheless, she completed the project and won the 7th Grade Science Fair, which she calls a “very cool moment”.
The Frustration!
Maya remembers the lingering frustration, because despite her best efforts
She felt like she didn’t actually understand Geotropism,
And she wasn't satisfied with what she had learned about it.
Channeling the Frustration
So, what did Maya do?
In high school, she took Chemistry classes, IB biology and Ecology classes and felt she was starting to understand this and similar problems without skipping over the details;
The fact that she was so frustrated about that problem, just meant that she was really interested in it;
So, the need to understand it at a fundamental level, led her to majoring in Biochemistry in college.
On With the Podcast
Maya joins us on our podcast to share her UG Experience at CU Boulder, UG Research, Hiking Expeditions, and Advice for High Schoolers.
Hi-Fives from the Podcast are:
Why CU Boulder?
Transition to College
UG Research
Campus Hiking Club
Advice for High Schoolers
Listen to Hi5s. Podcast Highlights with Maya Nelson about University of Colorado Boulder. (3-Minute Listen).
Have a Great Week.
Venkat