Have you ever wondered what draws people into the world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)? For me, it all started with an insatiable curiosity. As a child, I was always full of questions. In fact, my third-grade teacher once told my parents that I asked too many questions, as if that were a bad thing! Curiosity, in my opinion, is one of the most valuable traits a person can have.
When I was ten, my teacher asked us to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up. I drew a picture of a marine biologist swimming with jellyfish and dolphins. But I had more dreams, so I flipped the paper over and drew myself as a TV news presenter. Fast forward to today, and I find myself combining these passions by creating science videos and documentaries. Many of you might know me as Vanessa Hill, the face behind BrainCraft, a YouTube channel focused on psychology and neuroscience.
My journey began in university, where my love for animals and nature led me to study biology. However, my curiosity soon shifted towards understanding human behavior and the mysteries of the brain. I found myself fascinated by topics like personality, procrastination, perception, anxiety, emotions, and ways to enhance memory, focus, and sleep.
As I taught science in classrooms, I realized that many aspects of brain science weren’t covered in traditional education. With more people turning to the internet for self-discovery and health information, I decided to start a YouTube channel to share insights from psychology and neuroscience research. This is how BrainCraft came to life.
Initially, I had no idea how to make videos, so I learned by watching YouTube tutorials. One memorable night, while returning from a friend’s wedding, I checked my phone and saw thousands of email notifications. My video on sleep deprivation had gone viral, amassing 500,000 views in just a few hours! This success prompted me to pursue a career as a professional YouTuber, and BrainCraft was soon picked up by PBS, taking me from Australia to New York City.
Working in public media, I realized the profound impact content can have on people’s lives. I aimed to create science content that pushed the boundaries of traditional media, developing projects that could genuinely enhance everyday well-being. One such project was the world’s first reality show about sleep, where contestants competed to improve their sleep habits.
After the show aired, I noticed a recurring theme in the comments. Viewers expressed struggles with going to bed early and forming good habits. Despite the importance of sleep and the existence of behavior change science, there was a lack of clear guidance on how to effectively change bedtime habits. This inspired me to research how people can alter their evening routines to improve sleep, a crucial factor for both physical and mental health.
My journey to becoming a scientist and video host was unconventional, but it taught me that there are many ways to make an impact in science. Not every scientist works in a lab or swims with dolphins. My unique path involves using science to change the world through media, and this is my story. So, what will your story be?
Thank you for joining me on this journey!
As a student, you are encouraged to create a short video on a scientific topic of your choice. Use your smartphone or any available recording device. The goal is to communicate a complex idea in an engaging and understandable way, similar to how Vanessa Hill does with BrainCraft. Share your video with the class and discuss the challenges and successes you encountered during the process.
Keep a curiosity journal for a week. Each day, write down at least three questions that come to mind about the world around you. At the end of the week, choose one question to research and present your findings to the class. This activity will help you cultivate curiosity, a key trait that Vanessa Hill highlights as essential for a scientist.
Design and conduct a simple experiment related to human behavior, such as studying the effects of sleep on concentration. Collect data from your peers and analyze the results. Present your findings in a report, discussing how this experiment relates to the topics Vanessa Hill explores on her YouTube channel.
Select a science video or documentary from YouTube or another platform. Critically analyze the content, focusing on how effectively it communicates scientific concepts. Consider aspects such as clarity, engagement, and accuracy. Share your critique with the class, drawing parallels to Vanessa Hill’s approach to science communication.
Work in groups to develop a science outreach project aimed at educating the public on a specific scientific topic. Plan how you would use various media platforms to reach a broad audience. Present your project proposal to the class, highlighting how it could impact public understanding of science, similar to Vanessa Hill’s work with BrainCraft.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
—
I ask this question to everyone, and I’m going to ask you as well: What got you into STEM? I’ve always been a curious person. When I was in third grade, my teacher actually told my parents, “Vanessa asks too many questions.” As if that were a bad thing! Curiosity is one of the best qualities a child can have! When I was 10 years old, our teacher asked the class to draw a picture of what we wanted to be when we grew up. We had a worksheet with a big box on it, and I drew a marine biologist, a woman swimming with jellyfish and a dolphin. But I wanted to be more than one thing, so I flipped the paper over and drew another box. In that one, I sketched a TV news presenter, a woman standing in front of the camera.
Now that I’ve grown up, I make science videos and documentaries. Many of you know me as the BrainCraft lady or the YouTube psychology host, but my name is Vanessa Hill. It’s nice to meet you! I’m a behavioral scientist and the creator of BrainCraft. What you might not know is how I got here. I had to carve my own path. When I got to university, I still loved animals and nature, so I started studying biology. Over time, I became more curious about people, our brains, and behavior. Understanding how people act and behave is somewhat of a mystery, and I wanted to explore that.
I began teaching science in classrooms and realized that there’s so much about the brain that isn’t taught in school—like understanding personality, procrastination, perception, anxiety, emotions, and even how to improve memory, focus, and sleep. More and more people were turning to the internet to learn about themselves and their health, so I started a YouTube channel to share psychology and neuroscience research. That’s how BrainCraft was born.
At first, I didn’t know how to make videos, so I learned by watching YouTube tutorials. One night, while coming home from a friend’s wedding on the train, I checked my phone and saw thousands of email notifications from YouTube. My video on sleep deprivation had gone viral! In the time it took for my friend to get married, the video had received 500,000 views. At that point, I decided to become a professional YouTuber. BrainCraft was picked up by PBS, which took me from Australia to New York City.
Working in public media, I saw that content has the power to impact people’s lives. I aimed to create science content that pushes the boundaries of what science media can be, developing projects that could really improve people’s everyday well-being. I experimented with different ideas and created the world’s first reality show about sleep, where contestants competed to improve their sleep quantity and quality.
When the show aired, I noticed a pattern in the comments. The audience was saying things like, “Going to bed early is too hard,” and “I struggle to form good habits.” I realized I couldn’t find good information to respond with. We know that sleep is crucial, and behavior change is a whole field of science, but even experts don’t know the best way for people to change their bedtime habits. So, I decided to study it.
Now, I research how people can change their evening habits to improve their sleep, which is vital for our physical and mental health. I might be one of the only researchers who has formed research questions from YouTube comments. My work has always explored the intersection of science and art, and my mission is to use media to help people positively change their behavior.
I didn’t follow the traditional path to becoming a scientist or a video host, and that’s okay. There are many ways to make an impact in science. Not every scientist works in a lab with test tubes or swims with dolphins. This is my unique path of using science to change the world, and it’s my story. So, what’s your story going to be?
I think we can wrap up now. Thanks for watching!
—
Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Curiosity – A strong desire to learn or know something, often driving scientific inquiry and exploration. – Researchers have found that curiosity can significantly enhance learning and retention of new information.
Psychology – The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. – Psychology provides valuable insights into how individuals perceive and interact with the world around them.
Neuroscience – The scientific study of the nervous system, particularly focusing on the brain and its impact on behavior and cognitive functions. – Advances in neuroscience have led to a better understanding of how neural circuits influence decision-making processes.
Behavior – The actions or reactions of an organism, often in response to external stimuli or internal processes. – Behavioral psychology examines how environmental factors can shape and modify human behavior.
Emotions – Complex psychological states that involve physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience. – Understanding emotions is crucial for developing effective therapeutic interventions in clinical psychology.
Sleep – A natural, periodic state of rest for the mind and body, essential for maintaining cognitive functions and overall health. – Studies in sleep science have shown that adequate sleep is vital for memory consolidation and emotional regulation.
Memory – The cognitive process of encoding, storing, and retrieving information, which is essential for learning and adaptation. – Research in cognitive psychology explores how different types of memory, such as short-term and long-term, function and interact.
Focus – The concentration of attention or energy on a particular task or subject, crucial for effective cognitive processing. – Techniques to improve focus are often employed in educational psychology to enhance student performance.
Procrastination – The act of delaying or postponing tasks, often leading to stress and decreased productivity. – Understanding the psychological roots of procrastination can help develop strategies to overcome it and improve time management.
Perception – The process by which individuals organize and interpret sensory information to give meaning to their environment. – Perception studies in psychology aim to understand how people construct their reality from sensory inputs.
