Teacher-student science duo win fellowships

Biology teacher Kate Song looked proudly on as Luis Ramirez (’17) enthusiastically, yet modestly, spoke about his love of science.“There’s so many things that I love about science,” Ramirez said. “I’m just kind of amazed and in awe every single day about when we learn new things and how that applies to the world, and it’s crazy just how tiny, little things come together to form the things we might not see or we might overlook.”Seeing his passion, it’s no wonder that he (and Song) won Earth Watch’s fellowship.After a former Earth Watch fellowship winner visited Song’s science class, Ramirez – and many other students – decided to try out for the fellowship. In May, Ramirez will join other science-loving students in the Gulf Coast of Texas to study the whooping crane, a bird who’s endangered due to global warming, hunting and loss of land. Ramirez and the other students will investigate how all these factors lead to the destruction of species like the whooping crane.“I think it’s a really good opportunity to make lifetime relationships with other people,” Ramirez said. “And also get to experience the science first hand and in a real world situation where you’re working out in the field, and doing experiments and conducting, not only labs, but out in the real world.”Song, who also won an Earth Watch Fellowship, will be going on her own expedition. She will be visiting Acadia National Park near Schoodic Point in New England, known for its wide variety of birds, and collect data on its environment.Ramirez, of course, hopes to join the scientific field when he’s an adult. According to him, he’d like to at least major in something science related, maybe biology. It’s not a surprise one of Song’s – of all the teachers – students won the prize. Clearly, she has a strong fondness for both science and teaching.“He’s really bright,” Song said, describing Ramirez. “A hard worker, and super friendly. I think he’ll get along really well with his teammates. Inquisitive, curious and I like that [Ramirez] appreciates what [he’s] learning, he’s not just learning for the grade but [he’s] really appreciating how biology relates to the world around you. So I think [he’ll] fit right in and hopefully meet a lot of other scientists that [he’ll] connect with, see their perspective.”So, what does Ramirez want us to pay more attention to in the science world?“There’s so many things that we overlook and we can dive into every little aspect of daily life,” Ramirez said. “And just keep going on and on forever and you wouldn’t reach an end.”