Helen Budworth, Ph.D., is one of the Science Officers at CIRM. She wrote this blog about her experiences talking to some budding local scientists who just happen to be ten years old.

Recently I had the pleasure of attending the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) “Dinner with a Scientist” event held at the Oakland Zoo. OUSD has been hosting this annual event since 2009 to bring together local scientists, teachers, and students to celebrate science in an evening of activities and science conversation.

I was dining with 4^th and 5^th grade elementary students and their teachers from Think College Now and from Brookfield Elementary in Oakland. They included many budding scientists, with interests ranging from biology and chemistry, to geology and astronomy. The students were eager to learn about how I became a scientist, what interests me about my job and how they can prepare themselves for a future scientific career. I explained that my interest in science began in childhood because I loved puzzles and really enjoyed trying to work things out, and that my interest in science naturally flowed from that. Both students and teachers alike were interested to learn more about CIRM and what our scientists are working on.

The evening began with the students being asked a simple question: “What is science?” One of the kids said it was finding out new things; another said it meant conducting experiments to answer questions. One said it was a way of making money. He’s in for a rude surprise when he grows up!

In order to demonstrate the potential of stem cells, I led an activity that allowed the groups to use Play Doh to model the early stages of human development from a zygote, the earliest stage of a fertilized egg, through the first few weeks of embryonic development. What I learned from this event is that when you ask a 4^th/5^th grader if they know how babies are made, you will get many giggles and some interesting descriptions of ways that sperm and egg can meet – but few details of what happens after that.

This hands-on activity showed the students the processes of cell division, differentiation and development of a multi-cellular organism from a single-celled zygote. Scientific studies of stem cells, such as those found at early stages of development, have allowed us to reach the point where we are now harnessing the power of these cells to create treatments for diseases. They were very intrigued by the idea that you begin life as a single cell, that grows and multiplies and changes until all those cells become the different parts of you and creates a whole human being.

The exercise, indeed the whole evening, gave the students an opportunity to see how scientific careers are translated to real world applications and will hopefully inspire some future scientists and doctors.

I asked one of the students what kind of scientist she wanted to be, and she replied that she wanted to be a chemist. When I asked why she said because she likes mixing things. That seems as good a reason to think about a career in science as any.