What’s your favourite thing about being a scientist?

Brian Murray answered on 27 Apr 2020:

My favourite thing is that I feel like I’m exploring the unknown – sometimes I’m trying things that no one else in the world has done before. Even if it doesn’t work, it’s still fun to try, and it makes it all the better when an experiment finally does work out! 😀

Jean O'Dwyer answered on 27 Apr 2020:

You never get bored! You’re encouraged to question things and if you find something interesting, you can do research to find out more. I also like the sense of community- no matter where you go in the world, if you meet another scientist, you always have something to talk about 🙂

Louise Mc Grath answered on 27 Apr 2020:

Hi Orla,

My favourite thing about being a scientist is learning new things all the time. I have been working in research for 5 years, and I have been constantly learning new things. It’s really enjoyable, however, another bonus is the opportunity to travel as we get to go to conferences in different countries to present our work (and to learn new things!)!

Andrius Buivydas answered on 27 Apr 2020:

Everyday I learn something new. Being a scientist means having freedom for your mind, and of course always using your mind to unlock more and more secrets in nature (I am biochemist/molecular microbiologist).

Sonia Lenehan answered on 27 Apr 2020:

Hi Orla! I like that everyday is different and that I am looking for answers to questions! I find the brain really interesting, so it is great fun leaning about it every day!

Achim Schmalenberger answered on 27 Apr 2020:

My favorite thing as a scientist is to come across a situation, where I want to get answers that are either not been answered before, or where there are contradicting answers at the moment. I then set out a plan to how to answer these questions, designing experiments, maybe developing even new methods to carry out brand new experiments. Then when you have carried out the experiments you may have your answer that you can then share with the scientific community. The whole process may take years but it is very rewarding to look back and see that one contributed to solving a puzzle or problem and that others can now build on my findings.

Jennifer Cookman answered on 27 Apr 2020:

Being a scientist has taken me all over the world which has been a lot of fun (tiring too but mostly fun). I’ve been to Australia, USA, Belgium, Germany, UK in my current job. The most fun part about traveling is that I have met other amazing scientists, I get to talk about my research in from of the best scientist in the world and get incredible feedback. It’s motivating, invigorating and really really exciting talking to my role models face-to-face!

Chloe Matthews answered on 27 Apr 2020:

You learn something new everyday! Whether it’s from chatting to your friends over tea or reading about a new experiment. Then you get to try out new things in the lab. Sometimes they don’t work but that’s OK! If you keep trying new things you can figure out a way that works. One of the best things though, is meeting new people all the time and getting to tell them about your work. Sometimes they can tell you things that might help you to get to the bottom of the problem. It’s all about working as a great big team!!

Hannah Currivan answered on 27 Apr 2020:

I enjoy how busy I am, and responsibility that comes with the job. I am involved in 3 space projects and this means I attend meetings over skype, and also carry out analysis on data I have collected from an experiment from a few weeks ago. I also get to carry out reliability models, which are mathematical models on how successful an instrument will be in a certain environment.

Michelle Monaghan answered on 27 Apr 2020:

My favourite thing about being a scientist is getting to show other people what I’ve learnt and share the magic. I love doing experiments and finding out how different things work and grow. When I learn something new, I love to explain it to my friends and family.

Jun Lin answered on 27 Apr 2020:

It’s extremely fancy to see the micro-world like the atoms in materials, which we don’t see just with our eyes.
In addition, as a scientist, I got a lot of chances to travel around the world to present my work and share ideas with other scientists.

Ollie Otter answered on 27 Apr 2020:

Hi Orla,
My answer would be along the same line as everyone else who answered your question; I am a very curious person and like knowing how stuff works. The great thing about science is that you really get to find out how certain natural processes work, or why a machine will work better with some modifications. The other great thing about science is that there are a lot of fields to choose from. I am an engineer myself and I am mostly interested in mechanical processes but you might enjoy biology, chemistry or philosophy for example. The world is your oyster as the saying goes 🙂

Tiffany Slater answered on 27 Apr 2020: last edited 27 Apr 2020 12:45 pm

My favourite thing about being a scientist is that it allows me to ask questions!
Also, I love that almost every day is different and that if you get bored with one task there is almost always another task you can do instead 🙂

James Sullivan answered on 27 Apr 2020:

finding out a new thing is always good.

Maria Isabel Meza Silva answered on 27 Apr 2020:

Hi Orla,

My favourite thing about being a scientist/engineer is trying to find solutions to problems. You will face loads of different problems every day and one solution won’t work for all most of the time. This forces me to be creative and think outside the box! After our team comes up with a solution, we apply it to the real world and it is fascinating to see the impact it has on manufacturing companies. I also love talking about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) to students!

Hazel Rooney answered on 27 Apr 2020:

Hi Orla, great question! My favorite thing about being a scientist is getting to try out new things and exploring new ideas. My experiments don’t always work out how I would have liked them to but that’s life isn’t it? So when something fails you just learn from it and try again the next time :).
I also get to spend most days working with my pigs which is amazing.

Simon Spichak answered on 27 Apr 2020:

There’s so many things I love about being a scientist! First, I get to solve problems every single day and follow ‘recipes’ to do specific experiments. Sometimes I get to see things that nobody has ever found before! You wouldn’t believe how weird, amazing and hilarious (yes hilarious) the brain can be until you start studying it! Also, because of following all these very careful scientific recipes, in my break time, I’ve managed to master making the perfect coffee! Now a lot of my work involves giving a computer instructions to do tasks for me. Now this is a little chaotic (which I enjoy), because it’s like asking a genie for a wish. If you’re not careful – the little line of computer instructions might not to do what you want it do. But the benefit is whenever you figure something out, it feels quite satisfying! Finally – I get to listen to music and podcasts while I work – two other awesome things to keep me relaxed and learning!

Francesco Floris answered on 27 Apr 2020:

You can manage your time: priceless!

Yashdeep Yashdeep answered on 27 Apr 2020:

My favourite thing about being a Scientist( Research Engineer) is that I get to build new things as a part of my work. I explore new ideas everyday and apply them in the lab and the real world.
It lets me explore my creativity and satisfies my curiosity. I rarely feel bored when I am at work. It also inspires me because it gives me an opportunity to create a better world through my research.

Enda O'Connell answered on 27 Apr 2020:

I love the variety of different things we get to work on, from lab-based work, to computer-based data analysis, writing papers and grants and travelling to conferences and workshops in different countries.

Anthony Newell answered on 27 Apr 2020:

The opportunity to solve different interesting problems and even discover something no one else has yet. I like experimenting with different ideas and learning new things too.

Fiona Malone answered on 28 Apr 2020:

Solving problems. I’m an engineer and I like figuring out new and better ways to do things!

Aisling Ryan answered on 28 Apr 2020:

I love working in my lab! When I work in the lab I wear a lab coat and safety glasses to protect me. I am a chemist so my lab work involves reacting chemicals together to make some new medicine (the same way you would mix ingredients to make a cake, except I can’t eat what I make!) In my lab there are other scientists (chemists) who work at the same time as me, so we are able to talk to each other and have some fun while we work- it’s not like a quiet classroom where you can’t talk to the person next you (phew!)
I have lots of information about my work as a chemist and photos of what my lab and chemicals look like on my profile if you’d like some more information 🙂

Ciara O'Donovan answered on 28 Apr 2020:

I love being able to learn new things. I feel like I am always developing my skills and with new projects I get new opportunities to expand my knowledge.

Lucy Blennerhassett answered on 28 Apr 2020:

It has to be learning. I love the idea of the unknown and that everyday you can learn something new if you are open to it!

Katherine Benson answered on 29 Apr 2020:

I enjoy the challenges around trying to get an experiment to work, and I love it when we can find out something that impacts a patient’s life. It’s really rewarding to see your research change someone’s life.

Michael Nolan answered on 1 May 2020:

For me, it is my dream job and I am dead lucky to be able to do science.
Even luckier is I get to work with, mentor and grow a fantastic team of students and researchers and see them go on to do great work.

Min Yap answered on 4 May 2020:

Learning something new from people you meet or experiments you do. I feel like there’s neverending chances to learn, that’s probably my favourite thing.

Question: What's your favourite thing about being a scientist?

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