What made you want to become a scientist?

Joel Turner answered on 9 Nov 2021:

I like solving puzzles, and I realised that science is just problems to solve. It’s trying to work out how things fit together and work, and that’s something I really enjoy. It’s like being a detective looking at a picture of a crime and trying to work out how everything got where it is.

Karen Fung answered on 9 Nov 2021:

Science affects nearly all parts of our lives and often we can find solutions to our problems using science. I really enjoy doing research and making discoveries, and being a scientist allows me to do just that!

Ashleigh Kitchiner answered on 9 Nov 2021:

I love science, I love the natural world and I want to know more about it and help where I can

Tamsin Bell answered on 9 Nov 2021:

I want to make a difference! By working as a scientist in a sustainable technologies company, my research can make a difference to all our lives

Maike Wilschnack answered on 9 Nov 2021:

I love the environment, especially water, and with my research I can work on protecting it.

Natasha Marchant answered on 9 Nov 2021:

I really enjoyed chemistry at school and decided I wanted to carry on studying it after school. I find it really interesting!

Alex King answered on 9 Nov 2021:

It was my favourite subject back when I was at school. This was partly because my biology teacher was so enthusiastic and inspiring which made the subject interesting for me

Delphine Byford answered on 9 Nov 2021:

Love and passion for nature, especially the sea and wanting to have the skills to help industry, government protect it

Alexander Munnoch answered on 9 Nov 2021:

I think I was always curious about how things worked and I remember seeing a news report when I was about 7 years old about how snake antivenom was made from venom. I found it really cool at the time and wanted to learn more about it. It wasn’t really until high school that I had any more practical exposure to science and I had very knowledgeable chemistry and physics teachers (who were happy to discuss content outwith the course content) but also help everybody to high standards.

Michael Short answered on 9 Nov 2021:

When I was young I was very curious about everything. I wanted to understand how the world works and also how I could contribute to making it better. I loved computers and reading science fiction, so I was always imagining how our knowledge today could be used to create a better future. I realised that scientists were often the ones creating this future and wanted to be a part of that 🙂

Jayne Roberts answered on 9 Nov 2021:

My dad! He was a scientist too. I also had a really cool biology teacher at school who made our lessons really interesting. I love solving problems in a practical way and science can also be very creative.

Alexander De Bruin answered on 10 Nov 2021:

I always loved the idea of wearing a lab coat and discovering things, but I was really inspired to pursue a career in chemistry by my A-level teacher. Now that I work in science, I am inspired by the impact that my work can have to make the world a cleaner, healthier place.

Sebastiano Gadolini answered on 11 Nov 2021:

When I was in high school I found science way too similar to cooking, and “surprise” it is the same thing! Then the scientific challenge is what is pushing me to gain more knowledge and expertise in sustainable technologies development! Moreover, your work will be always useful for someone, even if an experiment does not go well. A failed experiment for you, it is time-saving for someone else. Join the dark side of baking cakes with goggles!

John Turner answered on 11 Nov 2021:

For me one of the main things that made me be a scientist is that I wanted to do a job that was interesting and engaging. You are there to solve a problem and you do experiments to try and solve it. There is a lot of variety in what I do day to day in my job which for a person like me with a bad attention span is important.
In my job, which I design new car catalysts to remove gas pollutants, I have designed and made catalysts for lots of different car companies which they test. One of the best feelings for my job is when one of your catalyst designs is used in a commercial car. You can see something you have contributed to on the road and reducing pollution.

Georgina Brogden answered on 12 Nov 2021:

I wanted to become a scientist because I really enjoyed science in school. I think it’s important to enjoy your job, to feel good at what you do, and to be proud of your work. I also think it’s important to try to make the world a better place. For me, using my knowledge of science to make the air we breathe cleaner was the perfect way to do all that!

Andrew McDowall answered on 15 Nov 2021:

It seemed to make sense of the world and added depth, colour and beauty to it.
And sometimes things exploded and caught fire. Always seemed the people who stuck with chemistry were those that got over the disappointment that everything didn’t explode or catch fire all the time, but maybe that was just my school.
Plus I was good at it (and very little else) and thought I could earn living doing it.

Question: What made you want to become a scientist?

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