ask a scientist

I wonder why I never did a science project and if I would have tried wouldI have known what an independent variable was and that I should replicate my experiments? The last guy that came is definitely going to be attending uc irvine and he will only be concerned with his grades - not the material. He will be one of those really annoying types that comes to you the very first day of class and says, "What do I have to do to get an A?" When he gets an answer wrong he will come to you and ask you to justify it and when you do he will say, "but that is what I meant." Then, he will hate you and complain that you have too much power. He came to me with no project in mind and when I asked "What are your interests?" he replied, "I want a project that is really good so that I can get an A." We gave him some suggestions regarding fish and isopods and plants and exercise physiology... he made fun of some of the suggestions and then eventually he looked at us really confused and said, "what room am I in?"

Her project was how do different fluids affect the rate of seed germination. I did not have the heart to tell her that we are supposed to encourage students to come up with something better than that exact example. How do you tell an 11 year old such a thing? Instead I instructed her to change the paper towels daily and keep the moisture levels standardize among treatments. Then I suggested she discuss the materials inside the different fluids and think of things like minerals and pH.

I wish ask-a-scientist night could be my full-time job. That was fun.