What Do You Notice?
Happy Science Week!
It's the time of year we stop and notice the role that science plays in our lives. And if we really considered every instance, we'd be considering everything pretty much constantly, from last night's dream to the materials that make up our beds.
Today, while at work, as students strung plastic beads on string, I overheard a first-grade boy gleefully announce, "The force of gravity is helping me put beads on my string!" I watched as he put a bead on the string, held the end, and watched as gravity pulled the bead down the length of the string to the table. "I like the force of gravity," he said, smiling. We talked a little about science and I told him that it was science week and he told me that he loves science. That makes me happy, of course. Science plays a role in everyone's lives, but in his life, perhaps, especially, as he is diabetic and wears a monitor that is constantly connected to his body. A scientific and medical luxury as the discovery of insulin in treating diabetes is barely 100 years old.
Daily, I take medication that keeps my thyroid working as it should. I take large machines to work that run on a number of power sources. I wear fibers invented anywhere from thousands to dozens of years ago. I write this on an incredibly intelligent machine to be posted for anyone around the world with a smart device to read. I eat popcorn that is popped with electric heat and watch animated television shows from before I was born streamed to me over the internet for free.
Recently, while starting off for a walk, I watched a seed spin down from a tree on a single leafy wing.
Darwin was made famous by his observations. "What do you notice?" is one of the most common questions I ask students. That question is the foundation of discovery and invention.
So, this week, ask yourself what you notice. Observe. Wonder. Find answers. Take note more often than you usually might. Even if, like me, you simply notice how incredibly lucky we are to live when and how we live — with the daily magic that science has afforded us.