Curious Minds: How a Child Becomes a Scientist

I have enjoyed this book so much. After reading the New York Times Tuesday Science Section for years, I wished that those writers would gather the stories in the "Scientists" series and put them in a book. In CURIOUS MINDS the personal reiminiscences include surprises such as a woman who loved Nancy Drew and her sleuthing. Richard Dawkins, often in the news now, loved the Dr. Doolittle books. A good number of women scientists are included. Some of the scientists are from "scientific" families, others from good ole blue collar roots.

Although the subtitle uses the terms, Child and Scientist, I think the real topic is how a person develops into a successful, creative adult. I found the book fascinating as I looked for patterns to validate how I raised my own children, or how I was raised, or how anyone should mentor younger people. What I learned was that becoming a scientist or any thinking adult is a mixture of luck, genetics, family influence, peer influence, and social setting. There is no recipe, but there may be patterns for our children and ourselves. While this was not a well constructed statistical survey, it was a well conceived set of informative essays from interesting, successful folks. Excellent book, great to discuss. Also, the format of many short essays made it easy to read in pieces and reflect.

As the parent of two school-age children, I loved this book. For all of the current passion for loading our children up with the "best" and "the latest", the best approach is perhaps to simply get out of the way. What struck me about this book was that so many of the scientists profiled made do with very little as children--it wasn't all chemistry sets and parents with advanced degrees. My favorite was the primatologist who was inspired by the Bronx Zoo down the block AND the theme-song from Gilligan's Island ("...the professor and Mary-Ann" convinced him that brains might attract women). There was the woman whose parents wanted her to be a nightclub singer, but the Nancy Drew books she read led her to love investigations. A brain surgeon grew up searching for bullets in the brains of cows that his cowboy-butcher father processed. Indeed some of the scientists don't even find their focus until adulthood (in other words, if your high-schooler doesn't win the Intel science prize, there's still hope). This book made me realize that inspiration is all around my children and the wisest thing I can do is just be supportive.

Despite the subtitle of this book, the stories are less a guide to making your child into a scientist and more a series of autobiographical essays. Sounds boring? Absolutely not. The writing is alive and vibrant, the stories are funny and poignant. While you might approach this book thinking "I can help my child love science", you'll probably leave thinking "this science stuff sounds interesting, how come I've not tried it?". As you read you'll find many examples of people who were turned on to a love of discovery because of some adult they met who treated them as a colleague or a collaborator. Read the book. Buy a microscope, grow sugar crystals and watch fill the eyepiece. Share the experience with your 7 year old daughter. There's magic all around in science, and this book may open your eyes to it.

What makes a child decide to become a scientist? Some of the scientists included here share a curiosity and passion for learning - and reveal their inspirations and motivational events in a collection of essays from almost thirty world scientists. Parents receive a fine guide on the sources of inspiration and how to recognize early scientific genius.