Today’s Guest Blogger is our wonderful Secret Life intern Olaf Steel

In the science world, the constant flow of new discoveries and data can be hard to keep track of. Scientists and researchers themselves often find it difficult to find information they need for their own work, as a lot of this data is not published. Therefore they sometimes have to do the same work that others have done before them. Due to one recent invention, this may no longer be an issue. Ijad Madisch, a researcher at Harvard University, has created a web platform, called ResearchGate, for people to share science-related information and help each other with future research. The site works sort of like Facebook. Scientists create a profile based on their area of study or expertise, and select people in similar fields to follow. The site helps researchers to collaborate, with the idea that this information sharing will aid all scientists in their work.

Watch the video below for more information, or check out the ResearchGate “About” page. So far, there’s no “Secret Life” section…yet!

Today’s guest blogger is Emily Whiting’s kindergarten teacher and friend, Evelyn Hambly. By Mrs. Hambly’s reckoning, she “taught about twelve hundred primary & kindergarten students over twenty-seven and a half years in Dundas, Ontario, a beautiful town in the valley of the Niagara Escarpment.” And one of those students was Emily. We thank Mrs. Hambly for taking the time to share more of Emily’s story.

I am pleased to write this blog post for Emily Whiting. I was her first teacher in kindergarten and have become her longtime friend. The architectural engineer as a young play narrator

I was in my 24th year of teaching when Emily first appeared in my classroom, hiding behind the door. I vividly remember how she peeked with sparkling, wide-open eyes, wrapped tightly in her pink raincoat. Emily was silent throughout the meet-the-teacher time. However, parents were invited to bring along anything their children had done and I was impressed by the drawings and origami Emily had made at home. Instantly I knew that here was an outstanding little girl, perfectly proper and quiet.

Within a short time Emily became the narrator for our class play “The Little Red Hen.” By Spring, Emily had mastered the highly visible post of conductor for our kindergarten instrumental orchestra. How does a quiet little girl possibly walk onto a stage and perform? I was to realize later that, whenever Emily decided to embark on a project, she would not stop until every detail had been perfected.

Today we feature our very first mother blogger, Joan Polete Bryant, the proud mom of Shani Daily. If you’ve seen Shani’s videos, you know what a great influence her mom has always been in her life. Many thanks to Joan for writing this post!

One particular verse in scripture states, “Point your child(ren) in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost” (The Message). This one and other scriptures were my guiding lights in steering Shani throughout her life—even now! Shani and her mom (without the PA system!)

Shani demonstrated a particular proclivity for math and science at a very early age. At that point, my thoughts were, “Hey, maybe she’ll grow up to be a doctor.” From that point on, whenever I wanted her attention, I would pretend to be on a PA system in a hospital paging “Dr. Bryant.” I even bought her a medical kit, complete with stethoscope! Now that Shani has earned her doctorate by combining her love for children with her curious nature for taking things apart, I could not be happier. While we are on the subject of her curious nature, I remember once when we hired a magician for her fourth or fifth birthday party. When all of the other children were laughing and clapping about all the magic being performed, Shani was quietly sitting back, watching the magician closely so that she could figure out how he was doing his tricks.

That’s our daughter—and we would not change anything about her! To God be the glory for all she has accomplished!

Today’s guest blogger is “Secret Life” fan, Amy Smith. She was inspired to write to us after reading this post from Judy Lee.

While checking out several of the posts on the “Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers,” one in particular caught my eye. Secret Lifer Judy Lee’s story is one I could relate to very much. As a child I was also EXTREMELY shy to the point where I wouldn’t speak in school. Our friend, Amy Smith, as an adorable little girl I had a couple of good friends I would share things with, but felt anxious speaking before adults or speaking up in class. Often I was misunderstood because of my shyness and had some tough times adjusting to new social settings. Luckily I did have teachers during my school years who were patient, understanding of my nervousness in social settings, and were able to draw me out a bit by encouraging my creativity and curiosity.

As I clearly recall, my first and second grade teacher truly made her classroom environment so much fun that I looked forward to going to school. By having a comfortable environment in which to grow, learn, and thrive I began to feel that my school experience could be rewarding, rather than intimidating. I changed from being a fearful, hesitant student to wanting to participate in classroom activities and experiment and explore more in a school setting. With my teacher’s guidance, encouragement, sense of humor, and with her support I managed to make a lot of progress during those years.

I am grateful for these teachers that did take the time to get to know me, and I will never forget that their passion for teaching and students has made a difference in my life. They are my heroes and role models. Many thanks to those encouraging teachers I knew through the years and to Judy Lee for sharing her story!

Today’s guest blogger is China Ching, an educator and media activist who recently saw some “Secret Life” videos at a SACNAS conference.

“I think anyone can be a scientist.”

Science comes in all colors. I can’t tell you how amazing that statement is and how inspiring the “Secret Life” interviews with Richard Robinson and Alexandrea Bowman are to me.

I recently attended the SACNAS (Advancing Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science) Conference and was absolutely blown away. To be in a convention center with nearly 4000 amazing minds who looked like my brother, my cousins, my uncles, my aunts… like me. It was incredible. My own work focuses mainly on media and community health, and so much of what we look at is about trying shrink the gaps, catching up. I think what was so amazing to me about being at this conference (and, by extension, both Richard and Alexandrea’s videos) was that they were all about another place, without limits. It was so powerful to see people who were so unafraid of their brilliance. It’s a different kind of hope and possibility.

And I love, love, love that Prof. Robinson said he worked hard. We never hear that enough.

Hana Hou!

Today’s guest blogger is our spook-tacular PBS colleague, Jasmine Bulin.

Halloween is the best day to pretend to be a scientist when for the rest of the year science is your secret life. In my real life I am a New Media Content Editor for PBS.org, but today I got to dress as Microbiologist and Professional Wrestler, Rachel Collins. Watch out, Jasmine, Big Bird’s got a “foreign object”! (Photo by Jessica Duda)

How I Got the Look

All fashionable Microbiologists start with a lab coat found at any nursing supply store. I already had in my closet a green top, black tights, black boots, and green eye shadow. A wrestling belt I found at a toy store and green clip-in hair extensions from my local beauty supply store completed the costume.

Here are some formulas to create other great “Secret Life” costumes:

Joe DeGeorge—Harry Potter-esque attire + toy keyboard (must be able to sing “Felix Felicis”)

Erika Ebbel—lab coat + pageant gown/prom dress/bridesmaid dress + tiara (sash optional)

Today’s guest blogger is Brian L. Cansler, a linguistics student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As most people familiar with Jean Berko Gleason’s work know, the correct answer to the question in the image caption would usually be “Wugs,” pronounced with a final [z] sound. In this case, however, there’s something special about these particular Wugs. Does the picture give it away?

This is a Wug. Now there are two of them. There are two ___. (The Wug and Wug Test ©Jean Berko Gleason 2006. All rights reserved. For individual & family use only) The first Wug is permanently tattooed on my forearm, and the second Wug is tattooed on my friend Halley’s wrist. As you can imagine, she and I would fill in that blank a bit differently. For us and for countless other linguists around the world, Jean single-handedly created the patron saint of linguistics: the irresistibly cute Wug. (As an aside, not all linguists are branded for life with a Wug. We’re just a bit…enthusiastically dedicated.)

Throughout the entirety of her career, Jean has been making great strides in the fields of linguistics and psychology, and she’s one of the key figures who has helped bridge the gap between the two disciplines. As you’ve surely heard by now, Jean is no stranger to speed; this is mirrored in her fast-paced career. She published a paper early in her career that helped catapult her as close to academic stardom as one could hope to be fresh out of grad school: “The Child’s Learning of English Morphology,” better known as Berko 1958. It was with this paper that Jean undeniably revolutionized the study of language acquisition.

Jean’s Wug test was the first to prove that young children analyze the words around them with innate mental structures and, as if by magic, find complicated rules in this chaotic mess—and actually understand them! This was one of those monumental discoveries that laid the foundation for the modern study of linguistics.

Well, that, and it gave linguists everywhere a common motto to rally under: “This is a Wug.”