Question: Joshua i am very inspired by you because iv'e known you from the past but who are you inspired by. p.s you are my favorite sientests

Andrew Fensham-Smith answered on 15 Jun 2015:

I’m so glad I’ve inspired you Joshua! This whole thing is about engaging with people and inspiring people like yourself to get into Science and become enthusiastic and interested, so I’m very pleased you feel so positively.

I have to say my biggest inspirations are my parents. Both of them encouraged me from a young age to be inquisitive and do what made me happy. I don’t play any instruments, but I’m doing what I love to do every day. I wouldn’t being doing what is a difficult course without their encouragement in doing what I think is cool and interesting, not what other people think is cool and interesting. It’s really important in life to find something that you’re passionate and either do it for your work or work so you can do it in your spare time.

To be honest, I’m not sure I have any big scientific inspirations. I find science inspiring, and I find people who show me things now which are inspiring, but nobody in particular inspired me to become a scientist. In the same way that somebody might like trains – they might not have a favourite driver, but they don’t need to!