• Question: what is a like being a scientist

    Asked by beth14 to Aime, Akshat, Diana, Gemma, Judith on 14 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by georginapage.
    • Photo: Gemma Sharp

      Gemma Sharp answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      It’s fun, and I like being able to plan my own days. I also like getting an idea and setting about planning experiments to test it.

      Sometimes being a scientist can be tough though, like if all your experiments go wrong or something. There are also some quite exciting but nerve-racking things you have to do, like give a big presentation at a conference full of other scientists. I have to do that next Monday and Tuesday and although I’m looking forward to it, I’m also pretty scared!

    • Photo: Judith McCann

      Judith McCann answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      It’s like having a full time job but more chemicals and you can plan you own day.

      Theres a lot of reading involved, and learning new things all the time, like methods and how to use equipment. Mostly it’s good, the chance to find something out but there are a lot of things that don’t work the way you expect which can get frustrating!

    • Photo: Akshat Rathi

      Akshat Rathi answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      It is very much like wandering through a forest having learnt all about it in books but never actually having experienced it in real life.

      You don’t know where to go but you have some idea. You need to trust your instincts although you are not very sure that it is a good idea. Unexpected outcomes are as likely as finding a new flower or a new creature. One thing is guaranteed – you will always be amazed!

      But it is also a lonely experience sometimes like walking in the forest alone. You work on your own project all the time. Some are lucky to have collaborators but even then your know your work the best. So sharing its difficulties with others can be hard. You have to stand behind your work and you have to see it from the start to the finish.

    • Photo: Aimé Fournier

      Aimé Fournier answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      I have to say, I agree with Akshat about this. Also it’s very empowering to build up this huge mental toolbox over the years, so whenever something new comes up, like someone on television makes a claim to scare people or whatever, you can analyze and think critically and say “That guy doesn’t make any sense” or “Maybe he’s correct, we should study it”. A scientist can be persuasive with logical arguments —but isn’t always the most persuasive person in the room!

Comments