Real science starts with questions: Ed Moriarty inspires students in Knezha
On 9 November, students at the Professional High School of Agriculture “Stefan Tsanov” in Knezha welcomed a special guest – Ed Moriarty, an instructor at the Edgerton Center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The school is a long-standing and valued partner of the Sci High Foundation and traditionally earns recognition and awards at the national Sci High STEM Fest.
50 motivated students took part in the event, eagerly awaiting the meeting and the hands-on workshop together with their teachers.
What does it actually mean to do science?
At the start of the meeting, Ed turned the young people’s attention to the essence of science and education. He noted that in a traditional school we mostly learn about things someone else has already discovered, and are then tested on whether we remember them. While this approach has its place in building a foundation of knowledge, Ed raised an important question: how much time do we spend doing science ourselves?
He encouraged the students to develop a true research approach, one that includes:
- Observation – describing phenomena accurately;
- Sharing – exchanging ideas with a peer and working as a team;
- Attention to detail – noticing small changes or new qualities in objects;
- Experimentation – changing the conditions, observing again and arriving at discoveries of their own.
Real-life physics and telegraph messages
To connect theory with practice, Ed set the students short but intriguing tasks linking the laws of physics to things from their everyday lives – such as riding a bike and speed of movement.
To finish, the most motivated participants got to touch the history of technology by sending a message with a real telegraph.
Towards new horizons: a student club in Knezha
The meeting left a lasting mark and sparked genuine enthusiasm for building a lasting community. Ed personally invited three of the students to discuss the possibility of starting a student club in Knezha.
The idea is for the club to be run by the students themselves. They would work independently with everyday materials under a teacher’s supervision, while receiving online mentoring from Ed or from students at the MIT Edgerton Center.
We are keeping our fingers crossed for these young talents – the will is already there; all that remains is to make it a reality!