Editor's Note: This post is part of a series produced by HuffPost's Girls In STEM Mentorship Program. Join the community as we discuss issues affecting women in science, technology, engineering and math.
When it comes to keeping girls in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), mentorship is crucial. That's why, over the last year, the HuffPost Girls In STEM Mentorship Program has worked to pair over 500 girls with scientists and engineers in their field of interest.
But today, we're excited to announce a new kind of collaboration. We've partnered with NOVA's Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers to give selected mentees from our program the chance to get on set, meet some renowned scientists, and ask them anything they wanted.
In the first episode of this partnership, HuffPost STEM mentee Lauren Yesko had the opportunity to ask Harvard neurogeneticist Dr. Rudy Tanzi a few questions.
Play the video above to hear Dr. Tanzi's advice to Lauren, and check out their Q&A with Lauren below. We see a bright future in Biology for this one!
Your Name and Age?
Lauren Yesko, 16.
What field of STEM are you interested in? Fantasy Career?
Genetics. A career in Agricultural Genetics is a dream career of mine.
What was it like coming on set?
Coming on set was a unique experience completely opposite to what I expected. Instead of arriving to a chaotic set where I could get lost in the mix, I arrived to a bustling yet quiet and controlled set where the people were receptive and welcoming.
How was speaking with Rudy Tanzi? What did you learn from him?
Speaking with Rudy Tanzi was an enlightening experience. Despite his extensive accomplishments, he was humble and informative, and approached our video interview as a friendly mentor. Dr. Tanzi outlined his continuing research and work, in a digestible form, which allowed me to formulate and ask questions of my own. The result was a dynamic conversation that inspired a deeper interest in Genetics for me.
What kind of questions did you ask?
'What is the best advice someone has ever given you?' and 'What is the best advice you have ever given someone?' were some of the questions I asked Dr. Tanzi.
What surprised you the most?
What surprised me most about the entire experience was how excited Dr. Tanzi was about my interest in science and presence on set. He really wanted to make sure he could answer all my questions as well as support my interest in science. After filming he even wrote down information I could look up as well as the names of other prominent scientists in his field that I could research.
