Stay Curious and Pursue your Passions

“Stay curious and pursue your passions” was the recurring message for SLS students attending the USA Science and Engineering Festival X-STEM Symposium today at the Washington Convention Center. Inspirational talks by scientists, physicians and inventors gave our students insight into how pursuing your passion can help lead to the future you desire. We heard about Brain-Machine Integration from Dr. Kafui Dzirasa, who described his research into understanding the underlying mechanisms that drive mental illness. Amy Sterling, Executive Director of Eyewire, told us how they are using crowdsourcing and video games to help map brain neurons. Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, shared the importance of food science in our global economy. Additional speakers provided details about ongoing research in primatology, cell biology and cancer research. Our students had the opportunity to ask questions and solicit advice from each speaker and learn about their background and childhood passions. This trip marks our sixth year of attendance to the USA Science and Engineering Festival X-STEM Symposium and is part of our ongoing St. Louis School STEM Speaker series. #BeaKnight #STEMatSLS