Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is a walking “mind blown” GIF. He’s constantly offering seemingly ordinary bits of scientific wisdom that amazes and inspires us. Last night, he dropped life-changing knowledge on an 8-year-old girl.
Tyson spoke at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, for its annual Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture Series, where he talked about science education and encouraging adults to motivate, instead of force, students to learn.
We spend more time forcing students to learn than we do motivating them to learn in the first place.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 30, 2013
“If you think the cost of education is expensive, look at the cost of ignorance.” @neiltyson #Bucksbaum
— Joe Schwanebeck (@JoeSchwan) October 30, 2013
During a question-and-answer session with the audience, a girl namde Charlotte stepped up to the microphone and announced to the crowd that she wanted to be a scientist when she grew up and asked Tyson what she should study.
Tyson let her in on a little secret.
“The great thing about being a scientist is you never have to grow up,” he responded.
.@neiltyson: “The great thing about being a scientist is you never have to grow up.” pic.twitter.com/KTqOWPtivP
— Drake University (@DrakeUniversity) October 30, 2013
AaronJaco captured the moment during last night’s lecture and posted it to Reddit, where it promptly reached the top of r/pics. It clearly resonated with the audience.
“The cooler thing he said to her was ‘Keep being yourself and don’t let any adults get in the way,'” one attendee wrote.
Charlotte’s mother, Deborah, couldn’t be more thrilled with how the night went. Video of the lecture is apparently in the works.
. @neiltyson thank you for your amazing interaction with our daughter Charlotte tonight @DrakeUniversity. #Bucksbaum
— Deborah Secord (@deborahsecord) October 30, 2013