AsianScientist (Aug. 4, 2017) – I’m going to say something that I think many of you Dear Readers may be able to agree with: I really love science! Now I’m going to say another thing that many of you would also agree with: I really hate science! And now I’m going to say a third thing to draw us all together: Sometimes these feelings can occur on the same day. Yes, my feelings about science and being a scientist are a complete rollercoaster. And here’s a listicle of the things that inspire my love (and hate).
The Experiments
Love:
I know not all of you Dear Readers are lab-based scientists but… I love being in the lab for as long as I can remember doing experimental science! Yes, I remember that day in third grade where we did an experiment about diffuse pressure by having a table upside-down on balloons and slowly getting the class to stand on the table—being the smallest in the class, they chose me to go first! And I remember that feeling of joy while gazing at the magnificent blue copper sulfate crystals we grew in high school. And I also remember laughing at the scream my lab partner let out when she accidentally touched a metal probe to the nerve of the toad we were dissecting in physiology!
Hate:
But I’d be lying if I said there weren’t aspects of lab science that I hated. THOSE TUBES THAT I USE LIKE CHOCOLATE COST HOW MUCH?!?!? And on the topic of using plastic ware like candy, I hate the amount of (plastic, paper, chemical) waste that we generate and that require special disposal methods. While I no longer do them and accept the necessity, I always hated doing animal experiments. In fact, I don’t know a single person who doesn’t hate doing them, from the colleague who would always schedule it at the start of the week so that they’d be over and done with, to the friend who danced with glee after being accepted for a postdoc position that didn’t require them.
The Analysis
Love:
Unlike the colleague who happily announced it to our office, I have to admit that data analysis is NOT my favourite activity. But I do love the process of getting to my results. Getting the raw data, combining it all together, doing necessary processing like normalisation and statistical analysis… and then puzzling over them. And I love puzzling over them with my colleagues.
Hate:
I’m not a unicorn—I have to admit that I also really hate getting results that seem to make no sense. I also really hate it when results contradict each other.
The Travel
Love:
Science is a global endeavour and I can’t think of many other professions where people at even the most junior level are encourages, nay expected, to interact with counterparts all over the world. As a girl who grew up in the wilds of Australian suburbia, I’ve never really lost that feeling of excitement of packing my bags to head to an overseas conference, although I’ll admit some locations are more desired than others. And even better if a conference just happens to be in my home town and work is willing to pay for the flight!
Hate:
Sometimes the travel can get a bit much. I think we all have a tendency to think “Oh, my conference is in city X, I can do a lab visit in city Y because it’s only a two hour flight away” which makes great financial sense, but will take a toll on you physically. Also, there’s nothing like stepping off a 12 hour flight and having to back it up by turning to the lab on the same day. If you’re one of those who are lucky enough to laugh in the face of jetlag or are allowed to tag vacations onto the end of conference trips, enjoy it while you can!
The Transformation
Love:
My (non-scientist) partner has gone on the record as saying he is amazed whenever he gets the opportunity to see me at work. Watching me transform from the ridiculously clumsy person with multiple things drawing my attention that he regularly observes me to be to a highly capable multi-tasking lab queen or laser-focussed paper writing machine… it’s like I’m a completely different being!
Hate:
On the other hand, he’s also said that if he’s watching me in the lab, it’s because I have to stay back late and it’s easier for him to come to my work instead of waiting for me somewhere else. Likewise, if I’m writing while at home or on vacation, I’m not getting much respite from work or paying attention to whatever we’re meant to be watching on Netflix. I think we’d all be lying if we said we didn’t sometimes resent the toll our work takes on our private lives. It’s tough being a scientist, but it’s also tough having a scientist in the family. Unless of course, your family is made out of scientists and you’re doing the loving and hating process as a group!
This article is from a monthly column called The Sometimes Serious Scientist. Click here to see the other articles in this series.
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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Pixabay.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff
