'Super Scientists' are all around us. They can be found in newspaper articles, science fairs, and classrooms. They are the unassuming heroes of creativity. It's these super science heroes that Real Science-4-Kids seeks to highlight because we value the ingenuity and dedication of everyday science heroes and the kids that just plain love science. This month we have the pleasure of honoring another such 'Super Scientist'. With a voice that can only be described as equal parts confidence and energetic spiritedness, Logan offers a jubilant greeting. She's not the type to wait for things to come to her. It's clear she's the sort of youth that knows what she wants and actively seeks it out. Logan, the Real Science-4-Kids October 'Super Scientist', responded to my first question without a moment's pause. RS4K: Thanks for being the 'Super Scientist' this month. Are you excited?LOGAN: Yeah! Who wouldn't want to be the 'Super Scientist'? She's 8 years old with the self-assurance of someone twice her age. Dialog with her adult interviewer flows naturally. This is one 'Super Scientist' who is ready to have a super conversation. RS4K: Why don't you tell me a little about yourself? Is there a superhero name you go by?LOGAN: Well, I have a superhero name, but I can't tell you or anyone else what it is. My regular name outside my superhero name is Logan. I like to do plays and be in theater. Right now I'm in a play at the local youth theater called Wyrd Sisters. I like to write songs. I keep them in the note section on my iPad. Writing them on paper would be good, but my iPad is quicker. I homeschool and also attend homeschool partnership classes with a lot of my friends on Thursdays from ten to three. Oh, I also like Minecraft and playing outside. I have a pet fish named Yoko. I've also seen Paul McCartney in concert nine times! RS4K: That's super amazing! So, how long have you loved science? What's your favorite science related memory?LOGAN: I think it was 1st or 2nd grade when I started to learn about science. We got some science books and started doing experiments. Now we're doing super cool science stuff. One of my favorite science experiments is when you get baking soda and vinegar, and then mix in some food coloring. You can do more than one color and watch all the colors mix. We made flubber, too. That was so amazing. Me and my friend were playing with the flubber. I had some plastic utensils I called Mr. Knife, Mr. Fork, and Mr. Spoon. I was making the flubber look like it was eating the utensils. When I was going for the spoon, she said, "You have to save Mr. Spoon!". RS4K: I have to mention your really cool 'Super Scientist' attire. Have you ever had to say, "Hands off, Captain America! This is MY cape. You'll have to find your own."?LOGAN: Well, I don't usually wear my outfit much because I don't live in a place where I can walk on the streets wearing my cape. Otherwise, I'd be discovered. I do have lots of superhero clothes, though. RS4K: If I were to say, "Look, it's a bird. It's a plane. It's....", how would you finish that phrase?LOGAN: I'm guessing that it'd be Superman or Ironman. Thor is my favorite Avenger, though. I even have a Thor doll, but I lost his hammer. RS4K: Do you plan to use your super science powers to help people?LOGAN: Maybe if someone falls off a building I can have a giant ball of flubber handy to stop their fall. When I grow up, though, I want to be a children's book writer. I've already written one called The Life of Likeabea. She has a pet hog and they live in a fairy world together. There's an evil villain in it called The-No-Goodman. I started the book when I was seven and I even did most of the art. My mom did some of it, too. It's going to be a whole series. I based it off my toy called LikeaBEE. It's a toy that looks like a water droplet. Maybe in one of her adventures she can use flubber to save people! RS4K: That's so cool! So, tell me what your favorite part of science is. Do you love reading all those fabulous textbooks? Or, are you one of those crazy people who actually likes doing experiments?LOGAN: I like doing the experiments more than reading about them, but I guess reading is all part of it. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what the experiment was supposed to be. RS4K: Very good point. Moving on to a subject of the utmost importance, I simply must know how you fit inside your compact rocket. Tell me all about it. How fast does it go? [With the quickest of wit, Logan dives into character as her 'Super Scientist' alter ego.&91;LOGAN: It can go like 100 MPH and, um, it's like a two person one, so me and my friend Alex can both fit inside. We don't share the same seat though. There was a launch pad and we asked if we could use it to go to space. We were the first 11-year-old girls to go to space. I like to say we were the first. Saying you're the 45th girl in space just doesn't sound as good. When we found the rocket it was old and broken down, so we fixed it up. [Back to her identity as Logan, she continues.&91;Once with a group called The Nutty Scientists, me and my friend Alex made bottle rockets. Alex's went the farthest. It shot all the way over the fence and landed in someone else's yard! The next time was chaos. There were two boys that found a dead crayfish and they decided to hook it to their rocket with duct tape. We called it the crayfish launch. You could see the crayfish all the way up in the air. RS4K: I noticed that in another picture you're holding a meteorite. Did you catch that with your bare hands?LOGAN: Actually, me and Alex got in the rocket we fixed up. After we ate some astronaut ice cream, we flew up into outer space. We got the meteorite and brought it back to show everyone. Can you guess what my favorite planet is? (After several failed guesses she offered the answer) It's Saturn. I just love the rings and everything else about Saturn. I looked at it through a telescope and it looked just like one of those planet stickers. Seriously, it looked like one of those greenish-colored stickers you can buy. RS4K: Wow, I'll have to check that out. OK, since failed experiments are the gateway to success in science, can you describe an experiment that didn't go as planned?LOGAN: My best example is with my art. I like to draw superheroes. I've done a lot of them. There's Sandstorm, Cheeseburger, Pumpkin Snowman, Happy Pumpkin Bomb, Space Angel, and Cosmic Wonder. I also drew one called Icy Chill, but I messed up on the eyes. I had to start over to get it just right. I made the eyes a lot better the next time, so I'm glad I did that. RS4K: Tell me about some of your heroes.LOGAN: Well, my favorite president is Abraham Lincoln because he's Abe the Babe. Plus, I like his stovepipe hat. He used it to store letters, you know. He liked oysters and also liked to wrestle. I just love Abraham Lincoln.I have two favorite scientists, Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin. I've read a couple of books about Albert Einstein. One was called I am Albert Einstein. I love his hair. He didn't talk much as a kid though. He just mumbled. In the book, when he finally spoke he said, "My hair is awesome." When we were reading that part I told my dad, "You have to say it with feeling!"Benjamin Franklin died when he was 84 years old. Back in his day that was a long time. They didn't have medicine like today. Well, it's still a long time today, too. He did a lot of experiments. My favorite ones were the kite experiment and the lightning rod. I wish our house had one of those. I read a book about him, too. Without the limitations of word count and time, Logan is certainly articulate and creative enough to carry on. Unfortunately, the interview must come to a close, but Logan's love of science and her creative mind will persevere. I'll count myself among the luckiest of people to have interviewed her because she's just that amazing. Thank you, Logan, for being the Real Science-4-Kids October 'Super Scientist' and for inspiring us to dream big! Your budding scientist could be our featured hero. From science fair exhibits and classroom projects to self-run science experiments, we want to hear about them all. Each month we will select one 'Super Scientist' to highlight as our Hero of the Month. We want to celebrate your successes with you. Let us know about them!Make a submission. Your story matters. Large or small, we want to hear about them all. Send submissions to melinda@gravitaspublications.com. Include a photo along with your story and we can share your experience on our website. Video clips may also be included, as long as permission is granted for a YouTube platform.
