Science Heroes Home Page > Rikki Horowitz

Rikki Horowitz

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

RH: I was born in Washington, D.C. and moved to Oregon when I was two years old.

OMSI: What three words best describe you?

RH: Friendly, active, playful.

OMSI: When you were younger, did you have any hobbies, interests, or experiences that helped prepare you for success in science?

RH: As a child, my parents always took us to science museums whenever we traveled - to Palo Alto, Washington, D.C., Australia, Europe and, of course, OMSI.

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

RH: Jan Migaki, my 7th and 8th grade science teacher at PJA, inspired my interest in science. She lets us work ahead when we finish the required assignments. All of the activities she plans are really fun, such as teaching us physics by letting us build Lego roller coasters.

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

RH: My dream is to become a teacher of young children.

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

RH: My education has been great, but I think that more time should be devoted to science in the school day.

OMSI: What is your favorite class this year?

RH: Science!

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

RH: In my free time, I like to use the computer for IM and listening to music; I like to read and talk to my friends.

OMSI: What do you consider your very best skill?

RH: I enjoy meeting new people and talking with people. I think that I have an ability to make people feel comfortable with me. I especially like working with and getting to know small kids.

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?

RH: My science fair project was cloning frogs at the blastula stage or as close to the blastula stage as possible. Last year, my teacher was talking to our class about cloning and I became very interested in the subject. When I heard about the science fair, I thought it would be a perfect chance. My teacher, Jan Migaki, gave me some biology books and that helped a lot. I also did some research on the internet. It was fun to participate in the science fair but definitely a challenge. I had to take time out of my afternoon activities to work but it was worth it!

OMSI: If you were to build your science fair project again, would you do anything differently?

RH: If I were to do this again, I would want to get larger eggs because with such small eggs, it is difficult to see where the eggs separate.

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

RH: I hope to become a teacher when I grow up. I would like to go to either NYU or Oxford because they seem like very interesting schools to me and I think I would learn a lot.