There are several coming-of-age novels centering around some form of art (writing, painting, etc.) being a big deal for the protagonist. For example, A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, My Name is Asher Lev, Ham on Rye, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, etc.
But what about the sciences? There's a lot of that in biographies and autobiographies of scientists, but not as much in fiction.
The closest I've found is Good Benito.
It could be YA or not, doesn't matter.
I'd appreciate your recommendations!
by TallWashington