The Young Scientists: Americas Future And The Winning Of The Westinghouse
by By Berger, Joseph
Category: Science , General

Every few months, American newspapers publish another dreary statistic about the country's scientific ignorance. But there are schools in the U.S. - like the Bronx High School of Science and Stuyvesant High School in New York, and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham - that are exceptions to this gloomy picture, that may show the way for this country to develop the scientists and researchers we need to maintain our economic and technological stature. These are the schools that year after year win the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, the nation's most prestigious academic contest. They have evolved winning systems because, above all, they teach their students how to do research. Students do science, rather than just study it. And the students, whether they win the Westinghouse or not, go on to establish solid careers in science.Early training works. The proof is in some remarkable statistics. Five teenaged Westinghouse winners have gone on as adults to capture the Nobel Prize. Eight have been awarded MacArthur Foundation Fellowships. Twenty-eight are members of the National Academy of Science. In short, winning a Westinghouse is remarkably predictive of later success in science.Just as the best pianists and ballet dancers are those who have been taught their craft in childhood, scientists too are bred at an early age. The Young Scientists looks at what makes the winning schools and students, and at how parents and teachers can help.