89 | Woods Hole Night Science!

What if an intensive science course wasn't primarily about learning techniques or producing results, but about learning how to think like a scientist? To explore that question, Itai visited the legendary Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to meet the instructors and students of its annual six-week course on microbial diversity. He discovered an extraordinary environment where students are encouraged to venture outside their comfort zones, follow their curiosity, and pursue questions they genuinely care about – “Let’s just do it, we’ll get to the rigor later!” The real outcome of the course isn't a publication or a new technique. It's a new way of thinking about science – one that gives Night Science its rightful place. Could this be a model for how we should train scientists everywhere?

Thank you to Amaranta Kahn, John Spear, Scott Dawson, Leslie Day, Dallas Mould, Jason Baer and Ioana Stanca for speaking with Itai at Woods Hole.

The Night Science Podcast is produced by the Night Science Institute. For more information on Night Science, visit night-science.org .