Date:April 9, 2010

Explorit leads student to an MD/PhD.
By Peter Willson

"When I was younger, I just remember Explorit being a really fun place to tinker." Bipasha Mukherjee, now a MD/PhD candidate at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine fondly recalls the many hours of her youth that she spent at Explorit.

"As a student at Pioneer Elementary School, I had the opportunity to visit Explorit during several class field trips. After the fieldtrips I would always want to learn more, so I would beg my parents to take me back over the weekends." Mukherjee adds, "I always looked forward to my trips to Explorit because it provided a fun and stimulating opportunity to learn."

Bipasha recalls that most of her early scientific learning came from teacher-led discussions and science books, both were essential yet very limited either due to time or a lack of educational instruments. "That was one of the best parts about Explorit, you could spend hours there. They also had all the tools available to get your hands on to see how they really worked."

Mukerjee recalls one specific interaction she had with Explorit when she was in second grade, "We were doing a unit on bugs and metamorphosis. Our teacher had given us several talks on insects and their various stages of life." She continues, "At the end of the lesson, we got to take a fieldtrip to Explorit. At Explorit we saw live demonstrations of all sorts of bugsÉsuddenly all of the facts that my teacher had been trying to teach me actually made sense." Mukerjee remembers this specific experience really pointed her life down the scientific path, "Everything became very clear, the lessons from the classroom were no longer abstract, larvae, cocoons and metamorphosis became real phenomena that I could touch, see, observe and appreciate."

Now, 17 years later, she retains the same awe for the mystery and complexity of life. "As an MD/PhD student, it is my goal to not only understand human physiology and human disease as a physician, but also to expand the boundaries of our knowledge as a biomedical researcher." Mukerjee admits that there were numerous factors that influenced her career path, including involved parents, an inspiring high-school biology teacher and wonderful experiences in the UC Berkeley Lab where she earned her B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology, but she credits her earliest experiences at Explorit as first sparking her curiosity about the natural world.

Mark your calendar-

o April 16- Explorit is now accepting registrations for their summer camp program. Registrations are due by April 16 to be eligible for the early registration random drawing.

o April 23- In conjunction with Black Diamond Productions, Explorit will be hosting the "Science of Sound". Black Diamond Productions, a local music production company, will guide guests through a hands-on music mixing and production workshop. This 'club style' event will be teen friendly and alcohol free. Tickets will be $7 at the door and proceeds from this event will go to the "Save Explorit" Campaign. For more information please contact bdpcali@gmail.com

o May 18- Dr. Kathy Glatter a cardiologist for Woodland Healthcare will present a seminar on Heart Healthy living. The event will be held at the Mori Seko Hall and run from 6 to 7p. The seminar will also allow guests to get their hands on actual sheep hearts and of course heart healthy snacks like red wine and dark chocolate will be available. Proceeds from this event will go to the "Save Explorit" Campaign. For more information or to R.S.V.P. contact Lindsay@explorit.org

Explorit Science Center is at 2801 Second St., Davis. New visiting hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Admission is $4 general, free for members and ages 3 and under. For more information: (530) 756-0191 or www.explorit.org.