• Question: who is your (scienc) role model and why?

    Asked by jeffjefftyjeff to Andrew, Emma, Marianne on 16 Jun 2010 in Categories: . This question was also asked by u26walkerj, nathanlee.
    • Photo: Emma Pilgrim

      Emma Pilgrim answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      My insprirational role model who I was an avid fan of for yeasr was David Attenborough. I wrote to him after I finished my undergraduate degree to find out if he could give me any tips! He told me to do a PhD so here I am!

    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      Jeffjeftyjeff North Korea just scored against Brazil (Who’d a thunk?). I think there’s some excellent role models out there to choose from. The Head of our research centre was knighted for his work in science and medicine. He’s a quietly spoken, humble guy who has published some amazing science. He’s most impressive at our meetings because he always knows hot to ask the most important question of someone’s research. Not in a nasty way but in a way that really helps that person see the way to an answer more clearly.

      I’ve talked before about Barry Marshall who swallowed a plate of bacteria to prove that it caused stomach ulcers (he got the Nobel prize for medicine). I think that’s bravery but a bit too mad for my liking.

      Joseph Lister was a scientist and doctor who worked in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London. He managed to combine being a brilliant surgeon with discovering the ‘antiseptic technique’. Basically keeping everything very clean so that patients don’t die of bacterial infections after surgery.

    • Photo: Andrew Maynard

      Andrew Maynard answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      Hi jeffjefftyjeff,

      Mmm, I’m not so good on role models. I remember getting really annoyed at school when we were told we should have role models – I couldn’t think of anyone who I wanted to be like!

      But there are plenty of people I admire and learn from. As a physicist I have to mention Richard Feynman – a really smart scientist. Then there’s my year 9 physics teacher who taught me that there no such thing as a stupid question – a really important lesson I’ve never forgotten. Going back a long way, I would probably include Michael Faraday. He wasn’t given the recognition he deserved as a scientists while he was alive, but he was a great experimenter.

    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Hi jeffjefftyjeff….I had a friend who used to call himself that! I digress, sorry…..my science role model was probably a number of people…my Dad because he was an Industrial Paint Chemist, my biology teacher at school, Mr Davis and my junior school teacher Mr Snow as they basically made science sound interesting!

    • Photo: Marianne Baker

      Marianne Baker answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Hey jeffjefftyjeff (do you like Eddie Izzard by any chance?! My favourite comedian… if you’ve no idea what I’m on about, do find out! 😀 )

      I’ve answered a very similar question here
      /siliconj10-zone/2010/06/whom-is-your-favorite-scientist

      Also in my current position, I greatly admire a lot of the people I work with; for their enthusiasm, intelligence and ability to do really good science work.

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