• Question: What made you be a Scientist?

    Asked by jim1 to Andrew, Emma, Marianne on 17 Jun 2010 in Categories: . This question was also asked by geoff, desmondthemoonbear, abbigaailstuaart, nathanlee, jamesbiscardi.
    • Photo: Andrew Maynard

      Andrew Maynard answered on 12 Jun 2010:

      Hi jim1,

      It was the only thing I was good at!

      Actually, there was more to it than that. I was fascinated by what made things work from an early age, and was inspired by great teachers, TV science programs and presenters, science fiction novels, my dad, and even Dr. Who!

      After university (I studied physics) I spent two years learning how to manage sewage works – that probably taught me I wasn’t cut out for the management lifestyle because it was only after this that I went back to university to do a PhD, and become a real research scientist.

      If you’re interested, I wrote this last year about what inspired me to become a scientist: http://2020science.org/2009/09/03/hooked-on-science/

    • Photo: Emma Pilgrim

      Emma Pilgrim answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      I always knew I wanted to be a scientist of some sort. When I was younger I loved watching a TV programme called “All Creatures Great and Small” about a vet practice in Yorkshire. I was determined to be a Vet for years until I changed my mind and wanted to be a scientific explorer. Now I study plants – quite a change but always something related to biology as this was my favourite subject.

    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      A combination of frustration at the limitations of medicine, a need for new challenges and the desperate need to put as many letters after my name as possible….! If i add PhD in October I’ll be at 15….

    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Hi jim1!

      My Dad was an Industrial Paint Chemist before he retired and he was always talking to me about science in an interesting way and the TV always seem to have some scientific programme on such as Horizon and Tommorrows World. Being a curious person I was also interested why things worked the way they did eg how did a bee fly and how did flowers grow.

      My Biology Teacher in secondary school also made Science fun at school and I think that was the final inspiration to going into a Science career:).

    • Photo: Marianne Baker

      Marianne Baker answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      I just think science is the most useful kind of knowledge.

      I mean I love music and film and all those things… but it’s just a pleasure thing, perhaps with a bit of philosophy mixed in sometimes. It doesn’t really *do* anything.
      We can all survive without paintings, but medicine, technology? Not so easy.

      I just couldn’t imagine doing anything that I didn’t, personally, think was very important.

Comments