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| Maxillary turbinates in a caribou skull. |
I was browsing my field journal from last year the other day
when I stumbled upon some words I had written prominently across a page. They were boldly and strikingly alone in a
book otherwise filled with words, scribbles and doodles. I didn't recall
writing them, but their placement was jarring. I wanted to remind my future
self of these words.
“Be Curious...Embrace Curiosity. Don't be afraid to tell
people about science.”
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| The radar tent: Sept 2013 |
These words fall between my entries for September 29th
and 30th. At that time, I was in a camp along the Susitna River
helping with a bird migration radar study. I had the night shift, working from
midnight to 8am watching the radar for any sign of our avian friends migrating
through the area. While the others in camp slept, I worked and contemplated all
manner of things, from my navel to our place in the cosmos.
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| I don't get tired of the night sky. |
At the bottom of the page in my journal, in scrawling second
thought hand, I noted “RadioLab Shorts: Tell me a Story.” This must be where those words come from, or
at least, the catalyst for me writing them on this page.
Friends had been listening to RadioLab so much in the
previous year that it seemed as if every conversation began “Today, on Radiolab...”
I teased them about it and for some reason never listened myself. Well, that
changed at radar camp. It might have been the endless hours of solitude, the
maddening swish swish of the antenna just outside, missing people so much or
a combination thereof. Either way, I listened to what must have been close to
every podcast RadioLab has produced. I could go on and on about how it made me
laugh, cry, get angry and feel generally amazed; but I won't. I'll simply say
that if you've never listened; you should.
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| Polygons: Fascinating landscape feature. |
Curiosity. I believe this is a trait that I hold near and
dear to my heart. It is a large part of who I am and how I define myself. I'm
interested in many things, particularly when it comes to the natural world. I
feel as if that's a huge reason behind my love of the outdoors. The mountains,
rivers, forests, tundra and alpine meadows are a treasure trove for the curious
mind. Put you're face to the tundra, breath deep and try not to feel something.
Countless times I've found myself marveling at the processes at work on
glaciers or the ecological systems continuing on around me in the boreal
forest.
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| Get close and actually experience the tundra |
Being curious is a fundamental part of being a scientist. But interestingly, it
is also a strongly childish trait as well. I know more than a few people who
would describe me as childish. But is that such a bad thing? Why do we try and
push these traits aside, hide them under a cloak of maturity? Do we really
think there is nothing left to learn? There is a section in one of Benjamin
Hoff's books (The Tao of Pooh, or The Te of Piglet; I cant remember which) in
which he talks about curiosity and how it relates to Taoism. I believe the game
of Pooh Sticks was his example from the Hundred Acre Wood. Hoff uses it to
demonstrate that Pooh displayed curiosity, and in turn, the basics of the
scientific process. I find myself thinking of this often, particularly as I had
and still do have, an affinity for Pooh Sticks.
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| Look at that comb! Isn't that awesome? Photo credit: Raphaelle |
Last week, I had the opportunity to drive to
the Teklanika River on the park road in Denali National Park and Preserve. It
has been a fantastic spring here, and the park was practically devoid of
visitors on Tuesday. We drove slowly, enjoying each others company before my
busy field season kicks off in mid-May. Wildlife was out and about, and we saw
and heard many species of bird and mammal. I never fail to be amazed at the new
things I notice and enjoy about the natural world. Hearing the comical clucks
of a male willow ptarmigan, the inquisitiveness of a group of caribou, and the
territorial squabbles of Dark-eyed Juncos is always a marvel to me. How bland
and boring the world must be to those without curiosity; to those who have
shunned that childish side of themselves.
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| These two just saw a bear. |
Don't push your natural curiosity aside. Don't silence your
inner child. Take a moment right now and write down a few words for your future
self. Just a note that you may stumble upon in a few weeks or months. Write it
boldly and prominently, in a way that grabs your attention.
“Be Curious...Embrace Curiosity. Don't be afraid to tell people
about science.”
