Fourth in a series
Re “Learning About Levin and Synchrotrons”
[img]1993|right|Steve Levin||no_popup[/img]The question about what attracted a boy growing up in Santa Monica in the 1960s and ‘70s to science did not cause even a ripple in the forehead of Steve Levin, the astrophysicist running for the School Board. (With yesterday’s addition of Claudia Vizcarra, on the staff of LAUSD School Board member Steve Zimmer and parent of two students, the Culver City School Board field has expanded to seven with more than 24 hours to go before the filing deadline.)
“I talk to school kids a lot, and that is a frequent question,” he said. “I have a pat answer: ‘I became a scientist because I have a bad memory. When I was a little kid in school, I had trouble remembering what the teacher told me to answer the questions on the test.
“‘So, I became good at figuring out the answers on the test. I would look at the test and figure out the answers on the spot.
“‘Turns out,’” Mr. Levin told not only students but a visitor across the lunch table at Roll ‘n Rye, “‘that is a lot of what a scientist does, figuring things out instead of just remembering the answer.’”
Presto, one extraordinary career created.
“‘I got good at that. It helped that it was something I liked. And I soon realized it’s a lot of fun to solve puzzles.
“‘What a scientist really does is try to figure out the answer where you can’t memorize the answer because nobody knows the answer. You are trying to figure out the answer to some puzzle that hasn’t been solved yet. You do it by comparing your ideas with what you can see and measure and taste and touch.
“‘Basically,” Mr. Levin said – eschewing instead of chewing his sandwich – “‘you are letting the universe teach you the answer. I like that a lot.
“‘I like problem-solving. I like the idea that I am figuring things out, that I am not just getting the idea from somebody else doing the work.’”
(To be continued)
