Tag: philosophy

  • Objectivity is a beautiful lie

    Think about the last time you heard a cover and liked it better than the original. Something in the reinterpretation unlocked the song. Maybe it had a slower tempo, riffs in new places, or grief where the original had swagger, and suddenly you can’t unhear it. Although written in black and white, the score was…

  • Letter to Angela Duckworth

    Dear Dr. Duckworth, If you ever choose to write a sequel to Grit, I have the perfect subject for you. Every spring, the cherry blossoms in D.C. last for two weeks. Dr. Nguyen*, my ISEF judge, drove from Cleveland, Ohio, just to see them. While he was here, we had a short reunion. He told…

  • Research and Wheat Fields are Pretty Similar

    I could never understand why people went skydiving, climbed mountains without gear, or went cave diving. But, after doing research, I kind of get it.   The first time I entered a field of research, I was utterly lost. I felt like I was in a literal wheat field. No compass, no map, no understanding…

  • The path to ‘perfect’ CRISPR babies may not be as idealistic

    Through my exposure to scientific research, I’ve accepted CRISPR as a common, emerging technique for genetic experiments. However, in the back of my mind lay the question of how far CRISPR is progressing as a technique for human embryo genetic editing. This weekend, I did a deep dive and answered some of my questions. Since…

  • A Lesson from President Calvin Coolidge

    In today’s world, fraught with conflict and marked by deep national division, what we need most is strong leadership that unifies people across all backgrounds, instills hope, and leads by example. While no presidency is perfect, the two terms led by Calvin Coolidge played a major role in bringing our nation out of the post-first…

  • Learning even as a teacher

    As I navigate my educational years, I’ve realized the trueness of the phrase “To teach is to learn twice over” (Joseph Joubert). I have had many incredible teachers and mentors who embody this mentality, inspiring me to do the same. You truly cannot teach without gaining a new understanding of the topic. The act itself…