• Question: What part of science did you hate at first, that you eventually came to like?

    Asked by anon-38729 on 1 Dec 2022.
    • Photo: Vincent Monchal

      Vincent Monchal answered on 1 Dec 2022:

      I didn’t really like to speak in front of people at the start, now I like it especially if it’s people that are not scientist because they can have another vision on your work and it’s really interesting to chat with them. If I could bring some people to science, it’s even better.

    • Photo: Sarah McPherson

      Sarah McPherson answered on 1 Dec 2022:

      I didn’t like that you have to write so much in science! Part of the reason I went into science was because I didn’t like creative writing in English class. But then I realized that it’s a different type of writing – it’s a lot more straightforward, so I don’t mind it now.

    • Photo: Vanessa Rodrigues

      Vanessa Rodrigues answered on 1 Dec 2022:

      I did not like public speaking and did not like hearing my voice amplified on a microphone.
      However, it is an integral part of science communication when you try to coordinate and lead workshops, fairs and conferences in different capacities. You learn to focus on the joys of sharing the science and the fears fade away.

    • Photo: James Brown

      James Brown answered on 1 Dec 2022:

      At first i found it very very hard speaking to non-scientists, trying to describe my work.

      Then I realised that communicating what we do as scientists in clear ways so that anyone can understand is SO important.

      It really reminds you that you have to fully understand what you do, inside and out, to be able to be able to simplify it to tell anyone/everyone what you do, and most importantly why we do (how is it important to them, to society, to other scientists).
      I really love that part of my job now!

    • Photo: Anna Desmond

      Anna Desmond answered on 1 Dec 2022:

      I don’t really like speaking in front of people about my research. I also find it hard to communicate my work with people who don’t have science background but I’m getting used to communicating about my research to the public.

    • Photo: Ingmar Schoen

      Ingmar Schoen answered on 2 Dec 2022:

      Hate is too strong, but I initially found it very hard to present my work in English. I worked in a laboratory in Germany where most people spoke German, and we were used to discuss our science in German. When I went to international conferences and had to explain my work in English, I often was missing the right words, which made me feel bad. This improved much later on when I was working in a lab where English was the main language. Nowadays it is easier for me to present my work in English than in German.

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