Interview With Jonathan Zhang

Jonathan Zhang

High school student and co-founder of The Polyglot Initiative with his younger brother William

Q: Can you introduce yourself and share your name, pronouns, and how you engage with science?

A: I’m Jonathan Zhang, I live in San Francisco, and I use he/him pronouns. I’m a sophomore at San Francisco University High School. I really enjoy science. Since I was a little kid, I’ve always been to The Lawrence on weekends to learn. I do believe in hands-on experience and learning and fun at the same time.

I went to a progressive, elementary and middle school, so a lot of science classes were going into the field, doing things by hand. For example, to learn about salmon and their life cycle, we actually raised salmon in a tank in the classroom. Then, I think in 7th grade our school taught us about wildfires, since we live in California. So we actually built models of forests and burned them down, so that was a really cool way to see how wildfires function, how the science can also be held in your hand. 

Q: What is your connection to The Lawrence?

A: I’m always looking for ways to keep learning. So, I was looking on The Lawrence website and I saw there was a piece written about a Lead Contamination Workshop. I signed up for it right away, it was the day before the deadline, and I was really lucky to get in.

It ran from late October 2024 to early January 2025, and I got to do a ton of things. We first started by learning about lead contamination, learning to read research papers and manuscripts to build our base of knowledge. Then we went into the field. We went to West Oakland to collect samples, like, hundreds of samples, probably like 150.

And then we came back to the lab. The Lawrence instructor Jim Neiss-Cortez taught us how to sort data, make spreadsheets, and discuss how to calculate exposure. Then we took what we learned through the data we collected and combined it into a scientific manuscript. So, I wrote an 8-page scientific paper. It was a really unique experience! That was my first time really writing a sizable, scientific, formal article.

Then my work with The Lawrence transitioned to sharing my knowledge. Just learning is great, but I also really enjoy teaching. Jim invited me to serve as a docent during The Lawrence’s STEM Day event last year, celebrating the National Science Foundation. Other high school participants like me worked as a team to run the exhibit and teach families, kids and parents about what we had learned, the research we had done, and why it mattered. Why does lead contamination affect our communities, and how do we move forward with this issue in mind?

I was also invited to serve as a teaching assistant for the same workshop I had taken in the winter. I helped students do the same thing I was doing, helped them understand what they were reading, how do you analyze a scientific manuscript, and then helped them collect samples in the field, and then did some editing and revising for their own manuscripts.

Q: How does your work make science more engaging, accessible, and inclusive?

A: In April of 2025, before STEM Day, my younger brother William and I founded our 501c3 nonprofit. It’s called the Polyglot Initiative.

There are two main things that the Polyglot does. Firstly, it’s story time. We borrow books from our local library, and then we read them. This is in English, Mandarin, and Spanish. Since we grew up as bilinguals, we speak English and Mandarin, and then we’re learning Spanish through our respective schools. So, we take that knowledge, we read books, and then we post them on YouTube. They’re also available on Facebook, I believe, and that can all be accessed through the website.

And then our other part is about writing advocacy. We’re not that proficient in Mandarin and Spanish, or write essays in those languages, but we write in English about underrepresented topics, a lot of them to do with science. So, we write about things our audiences will be interested in, but might not have heard of. For example, I wrote about the benefits of gardening on mental health. William wrote about the benefits of wildfires. So these are all more obscure topics that are really interesting and science-related.

I wanted to keep sharing what I’d learned, so I used the Polyglot Initiative as a platform to write and share a children’s book about lead contamination called Don’t Eat That Baby Potato. So I authored them, and I translated it into English, Spanish, and Mandarin.What I’d realized was that what I was learning, the workshop, was intended for high school students, and that’s great, right? High school students have higher reading comprehension, they can understand the higher complexities of biology. The problem is that the group most at risk are younger kids, right? Elementary school kids, and they might not have taken science classes, or understand the material we’re learning. So, I wanted to share the same knowledge so they are informed, but also make it understandable. Children’s books are a great way to do that.

So that’s the main idea behind these books. Age-wise, this helps both with kids and their parents. They’re also in the three languages, so people around the world can access them. And then lastly, yes, they are in person, you can buy them, but we’re not making any profit on it, it’s only to recoup the cost, but that’s not our main emphasis. Whenever we present these books, we’re always telling people: go download the e-book. The e-book is free. It’s a PDF. Anybody can have it and print it out on paper. That’s what we’re trying to do. So that, on a cost-wise, that’s how we’re making it more inclusive.

Q: Who helped make your work possible — what relationships and collaborations mattered most?

A: Yeah, so definitely I would say a lot of this process was really based on luck.

Firstly, my brother, we’re great siblings, we get along. So that was already a very productive step to forming the nonprofit.

I was also really lucky to stumble into the lead contamination program. I didn’t know it existed until I was just browsing the website. So that was also an incredible startup of luck, and I got in, which is also surprising, because I thought all the spaces would be full.

And then I also got to get to know Jim well, and then work with him over the summer. So these are very helpful mentorships, right? I learned a lot from Jim, not just the content, but also how do you be a teacher? How do you keep high school students engaged in what they want to learn? How do you help them write? How do you overcome writer’s block?

Even for high schoolers, this topic can be complicated, so how do you explain it step-by-step? How do you make a lesson plan? That’s the only reason I’m here with you guys, is because Jim referred me to The Lawrence’s faculty, and that is definitely a relationship I really cherish.

Q: What advice do you have for people who think science isn’t for them?

A: So, I think a lot of people just think about science as reading out of a textbook, listening to a lecture, taking tons of notes, and then memorizing and spitting back everything you’ve learned. That is true, but there’s a ton of ways to interact with science that aren’t just worksheets.

So, firstly, as we mentioned, going to museums or science museums, just being curious. As long as you’re learning, you’re at least enriching yourself, and you have the opportunity to share with someone else. That is already contributing to scientific knowledge. So, being curious is the first thing. Have an open mind, go explore things, don’t be afraid to take the first step into The Lawrence. That’s a great way to learn.

Everybody has a different comfort level when interacting with science. You can combine things you’re passionate about with science. During the pandemic, I was gardening with my grandfather in their backyard. And that was one way to relieve stress, anxiety, and improve health. But also, that was a way to learn about plants, right? How do vegetables reproduce? How do I use fertilizer? How do I plant seeds and grow things? And also having family connection, staying in touch with your older relatives, sharing stories and having a good time.

Those are all ways to do things you like, and also learn stuff that you otherwise wouldn’t learn in school, perhaps.

Q: What do you think it would look like if everyone felt welcome in science?

A: So, kind of related to the previous question, everyone will partake in science in a different way, so there’s no one way to take part in science. You could choose to go into a career of physics, chemistry, biology, or other things. Or you could investigate other ways to help yourself or help your community be interested in science. 

Q: Do you have a science hero?

A: So, I didn’t get to meet him personally, unfortunately, but my great-grandfather, his name is Dr. Zhui King. He was a biochemist, and he’s a hero in many ways.

Firstly, just being interested in science. I’m always looking up to role models, whether it’s Jim or my great-grandfather, to show me what it’s like to be a scientist, and different ways to interact with the field.

But also, importantly, he moved from China to the U.S, and yet he was able to accomplish a lot, even though he was an immigrant, right? He came to U.S. as an exchange student, and he completed his master’s and a PhD in biochemistry at Oregon State.

At one point, we actually bought one of his works, his books, off of Amazon. It’s so complex, I don’t understand it. So you can tell he learned a lot from his education, and yet he was still thriving, right?

He also served as a professor at the SUNY system — it’s an abbreviation for State University of New York — he served at SUNY Albany as the Dean of the biochemistry department.

So really, I really admire his work. Not only did he have to transition to a new country, he came and got a master’s and a PhD, so he went into higher education, which shows his love for science. Then he started teaching at an American institution, and yet he also maintained his bilingualism in English. So, he is amazing in a lot of different ways, and that’s why he’s my science hero.

Q: What is your favorite thing about science, and why?

A: For me, it’s always pushing the edge of our knowledge, right? A lot of things I’ve done are all about research. I’m always trying to learn, whether it’s in school. A lot of times I’ll find myself staying back after class, asking questions like “why does this work exactly the way it does? How else could I understand or have a different interpretation on what is going on?”

And then outside of school, I would be writing a research paper, taking Jim’s class, studying. So I’ve signed up for science and neuroscience newsletters, so I’m always getting articles in my inbox. So, for me, it’s always expanding my knowledge, as well as the people around me.

As soon as I learn something, it’s gonna be shared. I’ll tell my parents at dinner, or share it with my friends, or discuss something related to class. So, it’s always about learning and research.