Renée Watson, named by Melinda Gates as one of six women in STEM to watch in 2018, is on the bill at TEDxAthens on 1st June, with a talk that will inspire people to explore and discover more of the science in their every day.
Speaking alongside Arun Ghandi and Britain’s Got Talent’s Issy Simpson, Watson, scientist and founder of Curiosity Box - the UK’s first STEM activity subscription box - will unlock the secrets of living a more curious and wonder-filled life.
At the core of Watson’s message is the fact that curiosity makes us feel good. By being curious about a subject we break down the perceptions of it being boring, inaccessible and too hard – it becomes something that is just a part of life. Watson cites the recent plastic waste awareness as an example of this. Humans learned something new, used curiosity to explore better ways and in less than a year huge changes have taken place in homes and businesses. By being curious about a topic and then coming to a resolution on it, we can trigger emotional reactions that build both our confidence and our sense of wonder.
Says Renée Watson: “I’m delighted to be speaking at the prestigious TEDxAthens event, with my talk - ‘Is curiosity the secret to a wonder-filled life?’ - I’m hoping it will inspire curiosity-led learning and ultimately fill the lives of the audience with a little more wonder.
“Discovering the science that exists in your everyday life is like switching the TV from black and white into full colour - the stuff in your home, workplace, environment, even your own body becomes more fascinating through the lens of science. It underpins everything in our world and it makes everything just that little bit more fascinating. I believe that if everyone deserves the right to infuse each day with wow-moments of their own, then this can only impact their personal happiness and the impact they make in their community.”
Renée is currently taking on the UK primary education system, championing a move away from test-led classrooms and back to celebrating a child’s innate inquisitive nature through curiosity-led learning. Her thoughts on the future of STEM education are being discussed in classrooms and family homes all the way to Westminster. She regularly works with schools to bring STEM to life in the classroom, disrupts perceptions of who can be a scientist by championing diverse STEM role models and will be delivering at talk titled ‘Is curiosity the secret to a wonder-filled life?’ at TEDxAthens, on June 1st 2019.