《Science Magazine》雁春尘

1、How to fall in Love with Science

　　Ever since I was small, I have always loved science. Of course, at that time I did not know that everything around me was based on the knowledge of science. Yet someone may ask: why did I like science? Well, it was simple. At first, it was just an escape of my mother’s assigned chores, I started to read books. However, I could not read those “childish” books since my mother would say: “Hey, do the chores before reading entertainment children’s books”. I also did not have enough patience to read those fancy and wordy books, too. Therefore, allow me to ask: which book contains most pictures and at same time was not childish? The answer was: Encyclopedia!
　　The first book I have ever encountered outside of school, had enough patience to finish, and thought it was fun was the shortened version of Encyclopedia. Through that book, I learned many facts in science although I had no clue that it was related to our daily life.
　　This was just the beginning.
　　For manyyears, before Grade 10 and before I came to Canada to be precise, I had no connection with science outside of school activities and classes. The summer of Grade 10, it almost turned my life around. Before that, I had no idea that I am going to step into the study of science. It was a program called Da Vinci Engineering Enrichment Program conducted by University of Toronto.
　　This program allowed me to explore various forms of science. For example: Medical Imagining Technique, Genetic Engineering, and etc.. The most unforgettable thing happened during the first week of learning genetic engineering and that led me to madly fall in love with science. I had transported one green fluorescent protein into bacteria. Probably, it was the simplest experiment in genetic engineering field. Yet, I could feel how much self-satisfaction gained from just that single experiment.
　　When I first entered the lab that our instructors prepared for us, I felt excitement. When I wore lab coats in a real lab, I felt excitement. When I first used those equipments that I had never seen before, I felt excitement. No word could possibly and accurately describe what I had felt at that moment, not even excitement.
　　I could merely remember what we have done to complete that lab, only everyone’s faces. They were shining and radiant. When we were doing the lab, we were very careful because we know that if we missed one little step, the result might be altered. Forcing my hands not to shake was a big job, though I think I did pretty well. No spills, no wastes and no accidents.
　　I remembered that when we got to see the results, we were all jumpy and smiley. The bacteria tuned green when the instructors shone ultraviolet light onto them. I kept a picture of my plate. It was very blurred, only some scattered green dots. That was a huge compliment of what I had done. I did everything right.
　　This experience opened a door for me, a door to the investigations with science. I could never forget how magical it was to me, to make something glow. It was a miracle! Later on, I learned how the actual steps of transferring genes from one thing to another. Since then on, I knew what I am going to do in the future: something related to science.
　　Now I can tell you that I could never be sure what I will become, but there is one thing I am sure: I am madly in love with science!