Chenée Merchant

Chenée had an inspirational moment doing an outreach activity that helped her realize there are always opportunities to rethink our own understanding of a topic!

Time volunteering with Let’s Talk Science: 1 year

Area of study: Master of Arts, studying forensic anthropology

Inspirational Moment: When I was leading a webinar about skeletal development, I had a student ask a surprising critical thinking question that was relating two ideas to each other. Even though I hadn’t talked about one of those ideas directly, they tried to apply what they were learning. At first, I didn’t know how to answer it because it threw me for a loop; I had never thought about that question and it made me rethink how I understood the topic. I took a few minutes to think about it and ended up having to answer it after the webinar when I could fully think it out and provide the correct answer. It also helped me prepare for that question in the future and now I am able to answer it with no problem! It just goes to show we can always rethink our own understanding of a topic.

Favourite Let’s Talk Science volunteering activity: Bone Zone!

Why do you volunteer with Let’s Talk Science?: I love sharing what I know and wish I had these opportunities when I was in high school. I hope I can provide guidance for students who are confused and overwhelmed with career opportunities, as well as inspire a new generation of critical thinkers that can change our world.

Fun fact: When you lost your baby teeth, did you notice they didn’t have roots? It is because adult teeth start forming below the roots of the baby teeth, and to make space for these adult teeth, the roots of the baby teeth must be disassembled as the adult teeth grow larger and longer. The reabsorption of the baby roots allows the adult teeth to push the baby teeth out and emerge in your mouth.