• Question: Is there any part of your job that you don't like?

    Asked by Rohil to Avani, Jeff, Kenzi, Lindsay, Zoe on 15 May 2015.
    • Photo: Jeff Shi

      Jeff Shi answered on 15 May 2015:


      Not in the long run, but sometimes it’s difficult to make your own deadlines and keep yourself on track to finish things on time. Being a scientist is like being in the world’s longest marathon – the finish line might seem very far away, but you just have to keep moving at a solid pace.

    • Photo: Zoe GetmanPickering

      Zoe GetmanPickering answered on 15 May 2015:


      One of the most important things in science is communicating what you learn to other people. Usually its fun, like talking with you guys. Occasionally i have to give a presentation in front of a bunch of big scary scientists. i don’t like public speaking so i get really nervous. Luckily its only once a year or so.

    • Photo: Kenzi Clark

      Kenzi Clark answered on 16 May 2015:


      Great answers Jeff and Zoe! I completely agree, being a PhD student is no easy task. Lots of long nights, and years and years of being a student.

      When I run into something I don’t like about being a scientist, I channel this little girl and start listing off all the things I do like! Hahaha 🙂

    • Photo: K. Lindsay Hunter

      K. Lindsay Hunter answered on 16 May 2015:


      I’m not a terribly patient person, so sometimes the painstaking data collection and then detailed analyses can make me want to pull out my hair. I always want to jump straight to the results, but you don’t get good results you can rely upon if you skimp or rush in the other steps. Garbage in, garbage out.

      I just read a cool article in the New York Times that talks about how when we hear about scientific discoveries, we often here a grossly abridged version. It’s important to realize that there are no shortcuts to good science, so I just swallow my impatience and keep plugging away! Nothing worth having is ever easy!

      The NYT article:
      http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/16/opinion/it-is-in-fact-rocket-science.html?_r=0

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