Science Heroes Home Page > Miranda Lanning

Miranda Lanning

OMSI: Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

ML: I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I grew up in Washington and Oregon.

OMSI: What three words best describe you?

ML: Adventurous, compassionate and original.

OMSI: As a child, did you have any hobbies, interests, or experiences that helped prepare you for success in science?

ML: As a child, I helped my mom who is a veterinarian draw blood and played with the cell dyes and the pH measuring paper.

OMSI: Please tell us about a mentor or teacher who helped to inspire your interest in science.

ML: Bob Mason, my mentor for the Apprentices in Science and Engineering program, definitely helped inspire my interest in science. During my time in his laboratory I learned that science is beyond experimenting with solutions and chemistry equations where you already know what will happen and you just hope it works.

OMSI: Describe a difficult situation that you were in and how you handled it.

ML: The most difficult situation I have ever been in is occurring as we speak. I am on international exchange to Barcelona for the school year 2003-2004. I'm going to school and living in a family all in two other languages. Although it's the hardest situation I've ever been, it's definitely the best thing I've ever done.

OMSI: What is your dream? What do you most hope to accomplish in your career?

ML: My dream is to do as many different things and get as many different perspectives as I can in my life and do it as unselfishly as possible. In my career, I would like to work with a variety of people and inspire people. I would like to be excited to go to work the majority of the days.

OMSI: How do you feel about the current state of science education in the U.S.?

ML: Having only gone to school in two cities in the U.S. I would say that we're doing pretty well. I have usually found a good proportion of theory vs. lab work. My school is well equipped. After going to a small inner city public school in Barcelona and taking a science-based course, I have decided that school can be taught without computers for every student. Of course I think that money should be going to schools and science programs rather than wars and new football helmets, but science theory can be taught sufficiently with a chalkboard and textbook and lab work is possible without fume hoods and electronic balances for each student. The value of the class depends on the teacher and the enthusiasm of the students.

OMSI: What is your favorite class this year?

ML: My favorite class this year is biology.

OMSI: What do you like to do in your free time?

ML: In my free time I love to be outside. I appreciate many outdoor sports. I also like to hang out with friends, with animals and by myself. My favorite things to do are run, dance, travel, listen to music, talk with people and cook.

OMSI: What do you consider your very best skill?

ML: My best skill is observing, whether it is in a social situation or an experiment.

OMSI: Please tell us about your science fair project. How did you come up with the idea for your project? How did you go about researching and building your project? What was it like to participate in the science fair, and what do you remember most from the fair?

ML: Although I did not participate in the science fair, I did act as an apprentice doing two projects. I worked the in the department of Zoology at Oregon State University. I worked with garter snakes from Canada, Pacific Northwest and Florida. I simultaneously looked at two things. One project involved the body composition index between samples of females from two subspecies with very different reproductive cycles. In the second I measured lactic acid before and after the snakes exercised and compared two groups; those who were pregnant and those who were not. At the end of the summer, I presented my two projects in a symposium. My favorite parts of the experience and the parts that I remember most were the daily things like taking care of the snakes and when I realized that something had happened in the my project that actually meant something.

OMSI: Please tell us about your educational plans and goals.

ML: I plan to go to college and explore the possibilities.

OMSI: Have you had any on the job training or science related work experience?

ML: My science related work experience was my summer as an apprentice.