Colin McEnroe Show: Quirk Theory & Cool Science Geeks
Alexandra Robbins and Judy Dutton
Published: Jun 09, 2011
Slideshow
Shubhro Saha
Photo:Chion Wolf
Bonnie Hawkins
Photo:Chion Wolf
Audio Playlist
Colin McEnroe Show: Quirk Theory & Cool Science Geeks
If you're tired of hearing about how far our public schools lag behind other nations in math and science, get ready for something completely different.
Today we'll meet a couple of high school students who will probably have to dumb down their ideas a lot just for me to understand them. One of them maps proteins. The other works on computational models having to do with the production of hydrogen. Or something.
We'll also talk to author Judy Dutton who collected a series of often-astonishing stories of kids who, despite circumstances of educational impoverishment -- incarceration in a youth prison in one case and a hardscrabble Navajo reservation life in another -- created impressive projects. The prison kid accurately predicted the location of water on Mars. The Navajo kid built a solar heater out of junkyard parts.
The geeks will inherit the earth. Or maybe that already happened.
Leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.
***This episode was produced by Tucker Ives***
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E-mail from Kevin
I was at Loomis Chaffee class of '74 and two of the biggest (and very likeable) geeks were Steven Strogatz and Chris Hedges. How are they doing so far?
E-mail from Nate
Just want to say that as a former high school / college band geek (though I suppose you never really stopped being one) who is now moderately successful in the business world, after getting a bachelors and masters in accounting (another fantastic nerdy topic), I loved today's show. Great to hear the other 'success' stories, as well as those high schools who change the social structure and hierarchy to make the smart kids into the cool kids, simply for being the brilliant people they are.
I also wanted to note, to your comment that Chion was never a geek, that she too was a band geek in high school. My brother has been friends with her from way before she was the famous Wolfie, so I'm sure he has many pictures (beyond the ones in a band uniform), that she'd be plenty happy if they were never to see the light of day!
Thanks again for running today's show, and every day's show for that matter. I couldn't imagine a better post-lunch pick-me-up.
E-mail from Chris
Okay, I must take exception to the "emo" typing of young writers. Sure, you can SEE the kids all in black and read their depressing poetry and fiction - but that just makes those who DON'T dress that way and write cheerful themes feel all the more ostracized. I was one of those kids, and I now write for children (happy picture books, good-guy-wins stories) and I STILL feel like a nerd among nerds because people seem to equate "real" writing with edgy themes and a pervasive sense of doom and gloom.
Of course, my Pollyanna disposition and writer's sensitivity makes it very easy for me to bond with my students and get along with my colleagues, as teaching supports my passion, which is a boon. I wouldn't be able to do that, I think, if I was a black-clad Plathian... but I wish I could find a few kindred spirits to sit with at lunch!
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