The thoughts of the average four-year-old girl most likely concern playtime or evading the next nap. Dr. Ainissa G. Ramirez, however, was not the average preschooler when she was four. She already had aspirations for her future after college. While some girls cried over lost dolls, Dr. Ramirez dreamed of laboratories and test tubes, "I have wanted to be a scientist since I was four years old," she revealed in an exclusive interview for this article.
Dr. Ramirez visited Chatham Hall on April 20, for Family Weekend, and presented an address to the Chatham Hall community and families titled "How to Change the World (With Science)." In her address, Dr. Ramirez focused on empowering students to both enjoy science and realize the impact that each and every one of them can make. Dr. Ramirez also focused on shattering stereotypes about scientists and the science field: "It's not weirdness; it's just someone who's passionate. [Scientists] are creative problem-solvers just like an artist would be. I expect that your generation will be multi-dimensional, so I think that stereotypes will eventually be phased out."
Dr. Ramirez received her bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering from Brown University and her master's and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering from Stanford University. She has been a member of the Yale University faculty since 2003 in the department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. The recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, a National Science Foundation Career award, and Yale University's Elm-Ivy Award, Dr. Ramirez has spent her life pursuing that which she loves most: science. As one of the highlights of her research, she discovered a universal solder to bond metals to an array of non-metallic surfaces. According to the September 2003 edition of the Yale bulletin and calendar, this discovery is something that "researchers have been seeking for decades."
Science Saturdays, "a special lecture series designed for families that brings the excitement of research and the passion of scientists to school-age children in New Haven, Connecticut," was founded by Dr. Ramirez. She also founded a YouTube series titled Material Marvels. Dr. Ramirez stressed in her address at Chatham Hall the same message she tries to convey in these programs: "I don't think scientists have to be people with doctoral degrees. I think you can simply be a person interested in science and can make an impact. There are many ways for 'do-it-yourself science,' such as games, websites, and more...I think everybody should be involved."
When asked during her interview about the point she most hoped to convey to the students at Chatham Hall, Dr. Ramirez replied, "I want people to find the thing that they're most passionate about. I'm passionate about science. I think it's a great lever to change the world. I hope that the take-home message is that [the audience] finds something that makes them excited and that they use that to make the world a better place." Dr. Ramirez stressed that she did not come to Chatham Hall to force people into the science field, "Instead of pursuing a field, find a question that is important to you...Everything you learn in school should be helping you solve whatever question you want to solve. Find your question- something you are passionate about- and science, history, and your other classes will help you achieve that."
When asked if the scientist she is today is different from the scientist she envisioned as a four-year-old, she replied, "I learned that I liked teaching science and encouraging everyone to do their best in science. So, this leap that I've taken to be more like Bill Nye is not something that I originally envisioned, but I've come to see that it is my calling." Dr. Ramirez noted that she spent time working in laboratories for a time and enjoyed the experience, but her favorite part of her life is now being a professor of science.
Dr. Ramirez described her number-one hope for the young generations of women scientists as a hope that "you won't have to be held back by some of the barriers that the women of my generation faced." As for Dr. Ramirez's hopes for developments in science in the remainder of her lifetime, she noted, "Medicine and biomedical engineering are exciting. Non-intrusive medical robots to make surgery outpatient instead of long hospital stays would be wonderful. Basically, I would most like to see any scientific developments that improve quality of life in the future."
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