To better understand how teens feel about scientific research and to make a career in health or medicine a more desirable occupation among adolescents, University of Chicago researchers and a group of high-school students from Chicago Public Schools took a page out of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! playbook.
Using the model of Kimmel’s “Lie Witness News” segment, the predominantly minority teens asked their peers what they think about research. The project was part of the NIH-funded TEACH STRIVES program, which aims to prepare and inspire Chicago public school students to pursue careers in health-related research. Samantha Ngooi, a project manager with TEACH STRIVES, and Vineet Arora, MD, a principal investigator with the program, discuss the students' project in a recent KevinMD post:
What did these students find when they asked their peers about research? Well, not surprisingly [the] term “research” had a largely negative connotation — “lots of paperwork,” “lab rats.” However, our teens went one step further. They found studies that would be of interest to them — about things they cared about, such as teen health with cell phone use. When presented with research that linked cell phone use at night with depression, teens on the street were inspired to learn more. Unfortunately, this idea that research is esoteric and irrelevant is common amongst teenagers. Ask your average teenager what they aspire to be and more often than not a “researcher” will not be a contender. In fact, data suggests that few high-achieving high school students are considering a career in research, let alone healthcare research.
Why is this important? To make breakthroughs in science and medicine for the future, we need a healthy pipeline of diverse, talented teens to consider entering research careers in STEM fields...
Watch above to see the full video.
Previously: High schoolers share thoughts from Stanford's Med School 101, At Med School 101, teens learn that it's "so cool to be a doctor" and Stanford's RISE program gives high-schoolers a scientific boost
