I never thought that I’d have the opportunity to attend a summer science program on a college campus, and the weeklong stem workshop at the College of St. Elizabeth (NJ) exposed me to careers and opportunities I wouldn’t normally hear about. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be interested or gain something other than knowledge but I did.
Wednesday, July 13th, was the day my life changed. That’s when high school students from curiousSCIENCEwriters (cSw) introduced us to the important field of science journalism and talked about using social media to communicate about biomedical research. We visited the cSw website where science stories written, edited and designed by students are published. I never paid attention to drugs because I just knew to never do them. An article entitled, “Could New Vaccine Block Cocaine from the Brain?” caught my eye. I found this story appealing, not only because of the writing but also the graphs and art behind the words. Pictures appeal to people more than just words do. It is a fact that the brain can process images faster than it can process words. An image can convey ideas and or emotions that will last longer. cSw captured my attention, and I want to work with this group of curious and creative teens to reach lots of people with my art and learn more about research at the same time.