ScienceMakers Toolkit Manual - The History Makers

Life Science
4. Dr. Counter discusses his experience with de-segregating a public beach with Mr. Willie Miller. How
old was he? Can you imagine what that was like? What would you have done? How have things
changed since then? How have they stayed the same? (See Clip #2)
5. Dr. Counter talks about a teacher who got him excited about science. What was her name? What was the
specifi c science that Dr. Counter remembers becoming excited about? Have you ever been inspired by
a teacher or other adult? What was it about them that inspired you? What did they inspire you to do?
(See Clip #3)
6. Dr. Counter talks about an experiment that went a little wrong, leading to a very funny story. What was
it? What kinds of funny stories can you remember from your own life where things got out of control
because of a misunderstanding? What did Dr. Counter learn in his story? What did you learn from your
own misadventure? (See Clip #4)
7. Dr. Counter discusses his early interest in science. Was he always good at it? What does he say was the
motivation to keep learning? Have you ever found something that you had to work very hard at? Why
did you do it? Do you always have to have a natural talent for something to succeed at it? Where can
you put this talent to good use in your own life? (See Clip #4)
8. What is the achievement that Dr. Counter would like to see in his lifetime? Why do you think it does not
already exist? How does this make you feel? How would you go about changing things? (See Clip #7)
Science:
9. What do you think a neurophysiologist does? Would you like to be a neurophysiologist? Why?
10. Dr. Counter tries to discover how the brain works. One function of the brain, still not well understood,
is the relationship between memory and the senses. What are some of the sights, sounds, and smells
that you remember from your early childhood? What are some memories of events that are associated
with those sensory memories? Give your group a picture of your life from the past using your sensory
memories as a guide. When you describe your life, what does that remind your group about in their own
lives? Why is memory so important to humans? Why do you think that certain things trigger very strong
memories? Is there a way to explain this scientifi cally? What do you think that is?
11. Dr. Counter talks about his work with MRIs. Have you ever heard of an MRI? What does MRI stand
for? How does an MRI work? What are some other methods of seeing inside the body? How is an MRI
different? What are the strengths and weaknesses of an MRI? (See Clip #5)
12. How is the MRI that Dr. Counter is using different from a standard MRI? If you could look inside
someone’s head, who would it be? What kinds of things would you like to see? Are these things
something that can be seen on an MRI? Why or why not? (See Clip #5)
13. Dr. Counter’s work led him to investigate the history of Robert Peary and Matthew Henson, who
discovered the North Pole. Explain the signifi cance of Dr. Counter’s work in bringing this history to
light. Research the story of Matthew Henson and explain why his feat was so monumental and why the
lack of recognition he received for his achievement happened. What do you think it was like for the two
Polar cousins, both growing up separate, then meeting their Southern relatives? (See Clip #6)
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