Melanie Narish

Senior Learning Designer - Arizona State University's Center for Education Through Exploration

Education

Reed High School

University of Nevada, Reno

Biology

Boise State University

Raptor Biology

Melanie Narish is part of NASA's Science Activation Program (SciAct). SciAct has projects and NASA teams across the U.S. that are helping learners of all ages do science!

What first sparked your interest in science, technology, engineering, and/or math?

Melanie Narish

Nature sparked my interest in the sciences because it's super weird, and that resonated with me.

What Science Activation project(s) are you affiliated with?

Infiniscope! Visit Infiniscope.org for an amazing educator community, pre-built digital resources, and tools to build your own digital resources.

Tell us about your job. What do you do?

I'm a Learning Designer. I take topics that are challenging to understand and design digital models, simulations, and narratives, so learners can engage with those topics via engaging, adaptive science experiences. I also design tools that empower others to be able to make their own learning experiences. My job is like painting with education, tech, and wonder.

What's one piece of advice you would give to someone interested in learning more about science?

Two Steps:

  1. Get a journal/sketchbook: Carry it around wherever you go to write and/or sketch observations, questions, ideas – really anything! Don't worry about how it looks, and don't focus on one area of interest because you'll find inspiration in the most unexpected places.

  2. Start conversations: Find folks who are also passionate about the topics that you keep thinking about. Likely they will be very excited to talk about your questions and observations. (But be polite if they don't have time!)

Who inspires you?

Beatrix Potter is well known for her children's stories like Peter Rabbit, but she was also a fabulous natural scientist and conservationist. She united art and science to better understand the world around us, preserve it, and share its wonders with others of all ages.