• Question: What does it tak to become a scientist?

    Asked by nicolepoynter to Cesar, Emily, Jamie, Kate, Philippa on 18 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by 01bimckeown.
    • Photo: Jamie Gallagher

      Jamie Gallagher answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      A curious mind and a bit of being organised. those are two of the main ingredients.
      those are general. To be in the position I am now I studied at school and at university. Anyone can be a kind of scientist in their day to day life- it doesnt mean they wear a lab coat and saftey glasses.

    • Photo: Philippa Demonte

      Philippa Demonte answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      @nicolepoynter A curious mind + dedication + determination = scientist. I believe this is the formula you need 😉

      If you mean in terms of what you need to study, that really depends on which branch of science you’re interested in. I would definitely recommend taking maths A’level though – it’s a useful subject for any science. And as Jamie says, university is the usual route, not just for studying though, but also in terms of the people that you would meet there. Science is sometimes as much about /who/ you know as /what/ you know.

      If you’re unsure about what kind of science you’d like to go into, then as well as asking all of us here on IAS, it might be worth seeing if you can get some work shadowing / experience too. Before I came back to university I did an expedition to Kverkfjoll in Iceland to help an Earth scientist with his research on Vatnajokull glacier and later I spent 3 months working voluntarily at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. I learnt so much from being around these scientists, and they gave me some really good careers advice as well as telling me what to look for in a university degree. Because of that I ended up on the right university degree course for me, and it is thanks to my university lecturers that I am now in Montserrat for the next 2 months.

    • Photo: Emily Robinson

      Emily Robinson answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      Brilliant answers guys. All I could add is you also sometimes need a tough skin and the ability to pick yourself up and ask the next question…even if you got the last one wrong! As scientist we have to remember we are only observing how things work, so sometimes we read the signs wrong at first when we make a prediction as science is so complex. But thats also why we love it as science is never predictable!! 😀

    • Photo: Kate Clancy

      Kate Clancy answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      Yes, I think Jamie, Philippa and Emily have it!

      You need to be motivated, and you need to be able to push forward in your work without motivation or praise from others. You need to be able to work even without clear deadlines. It’s definitely hard at times, but I found I fell so in love with my work that it isn’t so hard to get motivated any more!

    • Photo: Cesar Lopez-Monsalvo

      Cesar Lopez-Monsalvo answered on 18 Jun 2011:

      I have very little to add to these very good answers. In particular, I like Philippa’s formula. You need to have all those qualities, sometimes in different measures.

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