Inspiration...

Something really neat happened the other day.

USF has a summer program called "The Oceanography Camp for Girls" every year. It's a program designed to encourage girls who have just finished eighth grade get involved in science and maybe even consider a career in oceanography or some related field. By limiting it to girls, the program hopes to create an environment for girls to learn, participate and "get dirty" without worrying what the boys will think.

The USGS participates by giving the girls a tour of the building and letting the girls interview the scientists. Each summer our public relations coordinator, Ann, request volunteers to talk to the girls. The campers often come armed with questions written on a sheet of note paper, carefully prepared before the interview starts. Ann likes to get the women scientists in the office to volunteer to be interviewed, to serve as positive role models, although the men are welcome to do the interviews as well. Travel permitting, I've volunteered several times. There was always that awkward moment in the interview when the camper doesn't know what else to say after asking all her questions. She's just going through the motions, because that was the assignment given to her for camp that day. And then, once or twice, there has been the girl that seem really interested in knowing what you do each day. She asks more then the rote questions "What to you do?" and "What was you degree?"

This year they didn't need me for interviews. The girl's tour of the office stood outside my door twice this week, listening to Kara explain about the damage Hurricane Ike did to the Bolivar Peninsula in front of the poster we put together for the National Hurricane Conference. They were the usual mix of half bored, half interested girls, who are probably thinking more about starting high school next fall then what's in front of them.

Later in the afternoon there was another knock on my door. Kara was standing there with a young woman whom at first I thought was another camper. Turns out I was only half wrong. This bright young woman was a junior at FSU. In 2002, only the second year that the USGS participated in the camp, she had sat in my office interviewing me. Much to my chagrin, I did not remember her. Not only did she remember me, she said that she had been so interested in hearing what I did, so fascinated by hearing about our hurricane research that it inspired her to go into meteorology. FSU has a very good meteorology program. She actually said I had inspired her to go into science. She asked Kara if I was still there, and Kara brought her by to say hello. Wow.

It's not often you get to see the results of those interviews. It's hard to imagine that a 10 minute conversation could spark that kind of interest. It's gratifying to think that you might in some small way, have help someone choose a path in life. I don't consider myself much of a role model, although there are some that would disagree. I never know what to say to these girls, never know what would inspire them to be their best, even if it isn't science that they choose to pursue. Today, I found out I made a difference in one life. Will I volunteer again? Yeah, I will. And maybe, just maybe, someone else will feel inspired...