ImproviSCIation by Brittany Rice (Near-Peer Mentor)

 

Lights, camera, acting? Science - a production? Make way as the SURES participants prepare to take the center stage! When you mix science with theater, you get more than the series titled “The Big Bang Theory.” You actually get a BIG BANG of CREATIVITY. Who would have ever thought the quest of knowledge through experimentation and research was akin to the theater? Like theatrics, science thrives on creativity.

On July 26, 2018, SURES students stepped out of their lab coats and goggles, and stepped into the stage lights. Students performed a host of mirroring, charades, dialogue challenges, abstract human sculpture building, and de-stressing exercises. Imagine the difficulty of releasing your constraints and flowing freely in front of others… for some of the activity participants this was not an issue. However, for others it was challenging to enter the ‘stage’ and exude confidence. Remarkably, by the end of the workshop everyone’s inner thespian had been unleashed. SURES participants’ creativity and confidence overflowed and filled the room. We had an improvingly fun time! The quote by Joe Namath sums up our collective experience of the Improvisation Workshop and reads as follows, “When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.” I for one cannot wait to see the fun and amazing things the students will do with their research and while presenting it during the final research presentations on August 10, 2018!