• Question: what do you like about science

    Asked by brendan999 to Allan, Angela, Diva, Harriet, Nathan on 25 Jun 2012. This question was also asked by jaurellbigtoe.
    • Photo: Allan Pang

      Allan Pang answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      The best thing about science is it is unpredictable and therefore exciting.

      I get to be the master of my own project. Design and plan my experiment. Carry out my experiment – and this is where the excitement comes in – you don’t really know what to expect from the result. A lot of instances I get weird results and that is exciting, because you have to find out why and how that happens. Most of the time, this unexpected result leads to more exciting research venture as well as potential ground-breaking discovery.

    • Photo: Diva Amon

      Diva Amon answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      My favourite thing about science is the element of discovery. There is so much left for us to discover and learn about in science, especially in my field, deep-sea biology. We venture into the deep sea never knowing exactly what we will find but when we do finally catch that first glimpse of a new animal or a new habitat, the excitement is overwhelming. Studying them is like unlocking their secrets – learning how they move, feed, mate and do other things. Then scientists discuss their discoveries with each other and the public. This is one of the other great things about science – communicating with different people from all over the world about your discoveries.

    • Photo: Nathan Langford

      Nathan Langford answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      I like lots of things about science. I like the fact that you’re always learning new things – it’s kind of like getting to be a kid forever. Children ask questions all the time – as scientists, we get to keep doing that as a job. How does this thing work? Why does it work like that? Sometimes, you’re learning things that other people already know, but sometimes you’re learning things that nobody else knows, and that’s really exciting.

      I like the fact that you get to follow your curiosity. If something strikes you as odd or unusual, you get to look into it in more detail. Often, just following random curiosity leads to the most exciting discoveries and the best research.

      I like getting to work with people. If I get to a point in solving a problem where I’m a bit stuck, I often find the best thing to do is to go and talk the problem through with someone else. Not only is it often faster to work like this, but it’s lots more fun too.

      I like trying to explain new ideas to other people. Communication is such an important part of scientist, which is perhaps ironic, given the common “nerdy” (read “socially awkward”) picture of scientists. It is very rare that the most important discoveries happen “in a vacuum”. Even if a person comes up with something on their own, it is usually the result of a whole combination of factors swirling around and meeting up in just the right way. For example, two physicists played a key part in discovering the double helix structure of DNA. I think there is almost no point in discovering something new, if you can’t communicate it. So scientists have to be able to communicate with other scientists so that the ideas can get around and meet up in the right way. The longer I’ve been a scientist, the more I’ve realised that I never really understand something completely until I can explain it to someone else.

      But scientists also have to be able to communicate with non-scientists and in some ways this is the most exciting part.

    • Photo: Angela Lamb

      Angela Lamb answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      The thing I love about my job is I never really know what is going to land on my desk. Recently we have analysed bird feathers, ancient human hair and mummified skin. I get to act as a bit of a detective piecing together different bits of information to discover and understand more about the past. I also love the fact that as I work in a lab that provides a specialised service for other scientists, I am always working with new people and I get to train visitors in our techniques. It also means you get the chance to travel to interesting places (I have been to Ethiopia, Mexico and Iceland for example). It definitely isn’t boring and I love it.

Comments

  • Photo: kayleighmontague

    kayleighmontague commented on :

    hi, what i like about science is the experiments i like to know what happens to them and i like working with my friends because they are so amazing at science and so i am i. i would love to know what happens if somebody put something in a chemical and didn’t know what happens to it,if it will bubble up or make a mess everywhere in the classroom and you would know not to put it in the test tube or drop it in the chemical. that what i want to know in the science lesson,but they wont let us put anything wrong in the test tube or the chemical.