Over the summer, my dad and I attended a talk at our local library by Dr. Robert Langer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). My dad was much more excited to see the “Edison of Medicine” than I was. He even bought me a copy of The Struggles and Dreams of Robert Langer, which he nudged me to get autographed that day.
The event was packed with mostly middle-aged folks who sat eagerly with pens and notebooks, like middle schoolers. They were obviously fans judging from the loud applause they gave him. Before it began, I was able to snag an autograph. Dr. Langer asked me what he should write in the book. I asked, “What’s the most important value you follow?” He smiled and wrote, “Be nice to everyone.” Dr. Langer’s talk about tissue engineering and drug delivery as well as his life experience was illuminating. Probably the biggest surprise was he admitted he hadn’t been a top student in high school. It was a great seminar, but I was sad that I’d never see Dr. Langer again. So, I thought.
When we arrived home, my dad immediately turned on his computer and told me we should try to email Dr. Langer for an interview. “Dad, are you going to interview him?” I asked. “No, you are!” he replied. I thought my dad was joking: How would a world famous professor have time for a middle schooler’s interview? My dad insisted, so I sent Dr. Langer an email. A couple hours later, to our surprise, Dr. Langer replied to the email and agreed to do the interview with me. After a few days of back and forth on his email with his administrator, we found a time to meet him at his office.
As the days ticked down, I prepared questions and tried to read his very difficult book. When the day came, I was ready.
When I stepped into Dr. Langer’s office, I was overwhelmed with more than a hundred awards (I guess) that hung on the walls. After a few minutes, one of his administrators led us into his office within the larger office. My dad prepped me for the interview as we waited. I wasn’t really nervous until Dr. Langer walked in, computer and paper in hand. He seemed bigger and taller than he did in the library. I stood up and shook his hand.
I followed up on something he said from the library seminar: How could such a brilliant scientist struggle in school. Dr. Langer discussed how he struggled to focus in class “which is now what we call ADD or ADHD”. But, he was just like any other kid with his favorite subject being science. At home he played with erector kits; he was most proud of his 6-foot tall robot.
I asked him if he knew what he wanted to be when he was my age. He said, “When I was twelve, I didn’t have a clue.” (That made me feel better.) Even though he could have focused on his many accomplishments, he chose to discuss the situation when he failed an oral exam. He expressed gratitude for his parents, who remained supportive and encouraged him to keep trying. Next, I asked him how much he thought school had changed from when he went to college. He said that in the sciences, there wasn’t much of a difference. The last question I asked him was what was his biggest regret. He surprised me by saying “didn’t have any regrets”, and how he was content with all the decisions he made.
My dad and I thanked him; he wished me good luck in my future endeavors.
The interview was a lot less stressful than I thought: Dr. Langer made it easy for me. What I took away most from the interview was the fact that he made time for the interview. After all, this is someone who has over 1,400 patents, and is one of the world’s most cited researchers, with over 427,000 citations. Still, he made time for a 12-year-old kid. I was also surprised that Dr. Langer struggled in school, even though he went on to become one of the most accomplished scientists in the world. This gives me hope in Spanish class.
Addison, what a well-written, informative interview, covering Dr. Langer’s accomplishments and character and your own changing outlook and emotions as you met him, anticipated the interview, and conducted it. Congrats!