What have you learnt from your research? – Research and Innovation Zone

Iona Christie answered on 24 Apr 2023:

I have learnt that no matter how much you prepare for an experiment something is probably going to go wrong or not work, and that’s okay, you learn change the experiment slightly and try again

Catherine Holt answered on 24 Apr 2023:

It is good to have a plan of what you are going to do but you need to be prepared to change and adapt as you never know what might happen.

Shanine Smith answered on 24 Apr 2023:

Hi Alexa,

Every new piece of research I start and finish I learn something new.

Sometimes I learn new things about myself:
for example, I once did research out on a boat in Oban and I realised I loved Scotland and the outdoors/water – so I started swimming more!

Sometimes I learn how to work new pieces of equipment or software:
for example, I did some research that required me to use some statistics modelling software. I found it really difficult and didn’t enjoy it. But at least now I know not to try that again!

Sometimes I make cool new findings that are important:
for example, I once tried to make a natural food colouring more stable because it kept loosing its colour if it got too hot. But it needed to withstand high temperature so that the drink could be pasteurised to make it safe. Anyway, I mixed the food colouring through a fancy process known as ‘encapsulation’ with lots of different materials. Some didn’t work but one did! Which was a great discovery and made me very excited! Sorry, I can’t tell you which one, its top secret! 🤣🤣

Hope that answers your question.
Thanks,
Shanine

Lisa Hursell answered on 24 Apr 2023:

That questions rarely have a simple answer! There’s always more to a problem than meets the eye.

Lucy Mitchell answered on 24 Apr 2023:

I have learnt SO MUCH from my research – I have worked on lots of different birds in lots of different places and learnt something special about all of them.
But, i think that across everything, the main thing I’ve learnt is that life – and the evolution of life – is amazing! Everything in ecology is intertwined and has carved out its own niche – i.e. its own special place in the world – for example birds have different shaped beaks depending on what they eat, or have special cells in their eyes so they can see at night. Evolution adaptations help birds (and other animals) adapt to their own environment and understanding how they have worked up until this point can help us understand what might happen in the future, with climate change and habitat loss etc.

Jarrod Hart answered on 24 Apr 2023: last edited 24 Apr 2023 3:42 pm

I have learned how energy flows drive everything, and how to control (some of) these flows.

Some things “want to react” “want to flow” “want to fall”… and controlling these forces allows us to control nature.

I have also learned that this has to be done responsibly and sustainably!!

On a separate train of thought – I have learned that you only learn when you fail, so try to fail fast, and if possible, cheaply!

Jo Montgomery answered on 24 Apr 2023:

I’ve learned lots of specific things about the things I have researched – like how brains work and lots of things about different animals, but I’ve also learned that you need to work hard, be resilient and to persevere – things don’t always go right first time and you need to be flexible and try again…and again!

Dmitry Dereshev answered on 24 Apr 2023:

Back when I was researching robots during my PhD – that home robots as you see them in films are not likely become part of society any time soon – they need to become both cheap and more useful than anything else first. Most home robots today are less useful than a smartphone.

When I was researching cybersecurity – that it’s very easy to attack computers, and very difficult to defend them. It’s even harder to defend people working with those computers, and big hacks often start by deceiving humans first, and making them click/tap things that infect their devices.

Loretta-Ann Jilks answered on 24 Apr 2023:

I have learnt many things, including things may not always go right the first time but there are always solutions! I’ve also learnt that people have no always changed their environment for the worst, sometimes the changes are beneficial for both humans and the ecosystem!

Ling Lim answered on 24 Apr 2023:

The main lesson I’ve learnt is that it’s OK to fail, as long as I’ve learnt from my failure. It takes a lot of hard work, trial-and-error and not-giving-up to achieve success. When that happens, it feels great!

Camilla Cassidy answered on 25 Apr 2023:

I have learned a lot about the things I am working with, as well as a lot of new skills (like when you need to approach a maths problem with a different kind of technique, in my case programming languages for the computer). However, most importantly I think I’ve learned a lot about myself and how I can channel my curiosity and creativity into tasks.

To answer your question, though, one of the most important things I learned during my marine biology research is that the way that animals react to changes in their environment (like it being hotter, or there being more CO2) actually changes the role that an animal plays in an ecosystem. This means that scientists need to factor in how behaviour changes when they try and predict what habitats might look like in the future, because the assumed relationships between species in the foodweb and ecosystem might be different.

Dafni Moschidou answered on 25 Apr 2023:

The key thing I learned was to be resilient and curious when things don’t go to plan, to learn from failures or mistakes and develop improved solutions. Research is all about experimenting, trying, failing and trying again, which makes success when it finally comes really exciting!

Emily Kempin answered on 25 Apr 2023:

I have learnt a lot of different ways to problem solve and plan around potential obstacles, as well as when to ask for help or advise

Rodrigo Bammann answered on 25 Apr 2023:

Resilience. I have learnt that things don’t always work out nicely. But you can improve yourself and try again and again, always getting better at things, even if it is a small bit.
I have learnt that you don’t know everything. And you don’t have to be the smartest person. But with effort and a growth mindset, you will get to the end.

But from my research, specifically? I have learnt that the brain is complex and there are many different ways of cells sending signals to each other. And these signals can be mixed!

Santosh Mahabala answered on 9 May 2023:

I learnt that it is always to good to plan the experiments ahead and make notes of the possible outcomes. So, based on the outcomes, you may understand how it works.

Mimi Asogwa answered on 24 May 2023:

I have learnt to be inquisitive, attentive to detail, read related work online or in journals and ask lots of questions.

Also, I have learnt that some research takes time to get answers so I have to be patient and keep working at it.

Áine Uí Ghiollagáin answered on 28 May 2023:

You don’t always have the right data, or enough data, to answer the questions you have, but research usually helps you improve your understanding or point to what you need to do to make things better.

Question: What have you learnt from your research?

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