“Science fairs are for geeks.”

– Roy Lee, October Sky (1999)

If you haven’t seen the movie October Sky, I highly recommend! It was a real favorite of mine growing up. Set during the Space Race, it is based on a true story about a couple of kids from a coal mining town, who discover a love of science through creating a homemade rocket and ultimately earning a trip to the National Science Fair. It is a feel-good, inspirational story that ranks up there with the infamous football underdog flick Rudy from the early 90’s–but I’ll write a post about Notre Dame another day.

What drew me most to October Sky was seeing so much of myself in the plot line. Growing up in the country ten miles outside of a three stoplight-town, competing at the international level with my science fair project was my ticket to see and experience the world.

Nearly all of my extended family lived within about an hour’s drive, so we did not need to travel much. Summer vacations were spent on the lakes of Minnesota, which I wouldn’t trade for the world. Still, it wasn’t until my older sisters started winning at the state level to compete internationally, that I ever set foot on an airplane. I was in about the seventh grade.

I was too young to compete at that level, but my mom took me along to experience the fair It was hosted in Louisville, Kentucky that year. In addition to seeing the fair and cheering on my sister, we went to Churchill Downs, Keeneland Park, and saw incredible horse farms beyond what I could have ever imagined. We also toured the Louisville Baseball Bat factory. The following year it was scheduled to be in Fort Worth, Texas. It all seemed SO cool.

I had been participating in the local and state science fairs since I was old enough to do so, starting in about fifth grade. I loved it. I loved coming up with a novel idea to test, working according to the scientific method, studying my results to draw conclusions, and presenting my findings to the judges. And to be honest, I loved winning. It was fun and validating, despite being a bit nerdy. Seeing where it could take me in a couple years was hugely motivating and stoked my fire to do my best.

When you think about a science fair, you may imagine the quintessential project of a volcano eruption. My mom was far more creative than that. Formerly an elementary school teacher, mom was full of ideas and brainstormed with us based on what we were interested in. She had years of experience supporting and motivating students in developing their projects.

Mom works at the University of North Dakota, and through her connections was able to gain access to science labs as necessary to run tests. Some of my absolute favorite memories were getting into the labs for a day or two, meeting the professors and college lab students, and learning the basics of electrophoresis and spinning down blood in a centrifuge.

For convenience’s sake, we tended to focus in the life science sphere, given we had horses on the farm at our disposal. The only project I somewhat regret was my first year when I decided to test different brands of horse de-wormer and did a comparative-effectiveness study on their ability to control parasites. Mom made me take photos for my board demonstrating each step of the scientific method, including scooping up horse feces in a lab coat and goggles. Let’s just say that junior high boys are merciless.

I loved spending time with my mom on campus at the local university. I will always remember waking up early and driving down to Grand Forks to get all set up. With time to spare, we’d have a light breakfast in the empty basement of the student union and she’d ask me to explain my project, probing for clarity and understanding with each practice round.

Looking back on it, I’m not quite sure how she found time to pull it all off as a working mom. Our school did not participate in the science fair. We solely did it as a family, with our mom filling the role as our teacher. I’m so grateful and appreciative of all she did to provide this opportunity for me.

As a freshman, I won at the state level, gaining the opportunity to compete for the first time at the international level. My project was focused on novel treatments of multiple sclerosis (which have since become the standard of care).

That year the fair was hosted in Detroit. I remember being inspired not only by a fellow competitor who had discovered a way to use the byproducts from fast-food chains to make eco-friendly fuel, but also by experiencing new places and meeting people from different walks of life.

Hanging out with other science fair kids from across the globe and exploring the city, I vividly recall encountering a homeless person for the first time. With a big, generous heart, I gave the person every bit of cash I had in my wallet. Little did I know, I would see about ten more homeless individuals later that night and feel guilty I had nothing left to give to each of them. As you might expect, North Dakota is not the most conducive climate for homelessness and also has long had an incredibly low unemployment rate.

The next year, the fair was held in San Jose, California. It was the very first time I saw the ocean. I grew up a lot each week I spent at the International Science Fair.

By senior year, I had become much more focused on singing, and musical theatre productions crowded out the time I had for science fair. But I will also remember how that time broadened my world and shaped my thinking.

Now that I have a daughter of my own and coincidentally work at an academic medical center, I have had the opportunity to give her some exposure to the labs. Natalie dreams about being a scientist who finds cures to cancer and global warming.

When she was a first grader, she had the opportunity to meet and visit the lab of an esteemed colleague of mine, Dr. Dafna Bar-Sagi, the Senior Vice President, Vice Dean of Science, and Chief Scientific Officer for NYU Langone Health. It was a magical experience for Natalie.

Dr. Bar-Sagi, a strong supporter of women and girls entering STEM fields, allowed Natalie to view lung cancer cells under a huge microscope, electronically save the file, and then use a computer program to manipulate the image. Natalie chose to turn the cancer cells purple and the fat cells they were eating red. Ha! She also met with girl scientists at our Neuroscience Institute, which has a program for kids. She had the opportunity to learn about and observe brains from various animals.

A few weeks later when the Easter bunny brought her a kids’ microscope in her basket, Natalie wondered how he figured out the delivery given “his brain was really small.”

Natalie’s dream has morphed and changed quite a few times in the past few years and I’m quite sure it will continue to do so throughout her life, as did mine. My wish for her (and my son) is that they can passionately and without societal influences on gender peruse any field of study they find compelling.

In the midst of this global pandemic, our hopes, thoughts, and prayers are with the scientists and clinicians at NYU Langone Health and across the globe, who are racing for answers in our front-line treatment, clinical trials, and vaccine studies. You make us all so proud.

I imagine each one grew up with a love and exploration for science, as well as grown-ups (parents, teachers, or otherwise) who nurtured that dream. And yes, our homeschool/remote learning curriculum in the Enquist household has been pretty science-heavy these last 2.5 months!

Be well.