Science Needs More Multi-Hyphenates
Why curiosity, creativity, and culture belong in the lab and beyond
We’re often told to pick one path. One sport. One major. One career. But what if the future of science belongs not to the specialists. But to the curious, the creative, the multi-hyphenates?
I collected hobbies the way other kids collected Pokémon cards: chess, surfing, ceramics, horseback riding. If it sparked my curiosity, I dove in.
Now, at 24, I’ve realized this curiosity wasn’t a distraction. It taught me the skills that matter most. Communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and other perspectives — I learned them through exploring so many different worlds.
The Specialization Squeeze
But by our early teens, we’re often pressured to choose a single defining sport or activity. Something to focus on alongside school with the hope of earning a spot to compete at the collegiate level, whether Division I, II, or III.
In middle school, I did club soccer, club swimming, and dance regularly. I was fine at soccer, always just scraping onto the C team, and okay at dance but never made it to pointe. But, I was a really talented swimmer. I qualified for important meets, made finals, and at one point had top-10 times in our area in a couple of events.
I wanted to quit soccer and dance to focus on swimming, but my coach said no. She believed variety mattered, and she was right. So throughout middle school, I did club soccer, club swimming, and whatever sport was in season at school — usually volleyball in the fall, track in the winter, and lacrosse in the spring.
While my swim coach encouraged this variety, my soccer coach wasn’t as thrilled. I had to keep my other sports a secret from her. In soccer, I wasn’t very good on the field, but one game I was randomly put in as a goalie and stopped every ball. After that, they wanted me to quit everything else to go all in on soccer.
Swimming was my obvious sport of choice, so I hid the fact that I was still swimming, sometimes making sure my hair was completely dry after swim practice before arriving at soccer so I wouldn’t raise suspicion.
A year later, I quit club soccer. It demanded too much focus, and my heart wasn’t in it. But I continued to play JV soccer in high school, played club lacrosse, kept dancing, and went on to have a successful college swimming career. I share this because the pressure to drop everything for one sport made me start to hate soccer, even though I loved being active. It showed me how forcing kids to specialize too early can push them away rather than help them find joy and success.
From Sports to STEM: The Pattern Continues
My experience with early specialization taught me firsthand how narrowing your focus too soon can backfire. I was pushed to pick one sport and go all in, but instead of improving, I felt stuck and disconnected from everything that made me curious and creative.
The same thing happens in science. From college onward, we’re told to pick a major, narrow our focus, and become an expert in a single area. Graduate school rewards deep specialization but rarely encourages students to explore outside their field or develop the communication skills needed to connect their work to the broader world. As a result, scientists often become siloed, unable to collaborate across disciplines or explain their work to the public. This culture of specialization creates barriers between fields and keeps science at a distance from society.
If scientists can’t explain their work in ways people can understand or care about, how can we expect the public to support research, trust experts, or feel inspired to pursue science themselves?
The Power of Multi-Hyphenates
That’s why figures like Bill Nye, Carl Sagan, and Neil deGrasse Tyson have been so impactful. They aren’t just scientists; they are storytellers, performers, and cultural icons who make science feel exciting, relevant, and human. But these examples are still too rare, and most come from a narrow slice of disciplines and identities.
We need more scientists like Raven Baxter (also known as Raven the Science Maven), who fuses molecular biology with music and pop culture to make science accessible, or Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, a theoretical physicist who writes powerfully about science, race, and gender. And we need more creative thinkers like Virgil Abloh, who started as an engineer and architect, then became a fashion designer, DJ, and cultural visionary.
These multi-hyphenates show that science and creativity do not have to live in separate worlds. They can live in music, fashion, social media, and activism. When scientists and creatives step beyond traditional roles and engage with culture, they do more than share knowledge. They spark curiosity, build trust, and invite more people into the conversation.
When Science Meets Culture
Magic happens when science intersects with culture. When a scientific concept is woven into art, music, film, or fashion, it reaches people where they already are. It becomes something they want to talk about, share, and care about. The movies Oppenheimer and Interstellar are a testament to that. When scientists themselves are willing to step outside their comfort zones, collaborate with creatives, and speak to new audiences, they build trust and understanding in ways data alone never could.
There are already a few people doing this work. Some scientists, like myself, use TikTok to show the behind-the-scenes of PhD life or explain complex topics. But few really bring research into the cultural spotlight. In the growing age of the creator and the creator economy, we need to make sure the next generation of scientists sees multi-hyphenate paths as not just acceptable but essential.
The Future Belongs to Boundary-Crossers
I know what it’s like to be told to pick one path. I also know what happens when you don’t. You grow. You connect. You create. Science needs more people who follow their curiosity wherever it leads, who see connections others miss, and who bring research into everyday life. The future of science will not belong to those who stay in one lane. It’ll belong to the multi-hyphenates, the boundary-crossers, the ones like Virgil Abloh who prove that creativity, culture, and science are not separate worlds. They are part of the same story and it’s time we started telling it that way.
If this resonated with you, whether you're a scientist, a creative, or just someone who’s curious about the world, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Have you ever felt pressure to choose just one path? Do you see yourself as a multi-hyphenate?
Feel free to share in the comments or pass this along to someone who might relate. I’d love to keep the conversation going.