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Asked by sarahi to David, James, Mike, Suze, Will on 16 Jun 2011.
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Mike Dodd answered on 15 Jun 2011:
When experiments go wrong for no reason. One day everything works really well and the next they stop working. I have been trying to get one experiment to work for the last 6 months. Luckily I have lots of other experiments to keep me busy. I just hate it when you can’t figure out why something stopped working.
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James Marrow answered on 15 Jun 2011:
It can be really frustrating sometimes – you know what you’re aiming for, but you’re not sure how to get there. Little by little, you make progress without realising it.
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Suze Kundu answered on 15 Jun 2011:
I agree with what Mike said! Also, when you get an experiment that works once, but then you can’t repeat that amazing result, and you have no idea why!
There is a lot more to being a scientist than just sitting in a lab on your own. We get the chance to travel, to see so many wonderful things, and to meet some really amazing people (like a Nobel Prize winner, who I brushed past at a conference once, and wouldn’t shut up about how I had done so for two whole days!). I’ve also met the most famous people through science events, which exciting on another level (and make great Facebook profile photos!).
What do you hate about the thought of being a scientist?
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William Eborall answered on 16 Jun 2011:
I agree with Mike. Another aspect that I dislike, I wouldn’t say hate, is the repetition you have to go through sometimes. There are times were you have to do something over and over with small changes to see if that small change will make what you’re doing work. Or even if your experiment works, to be sure it wasn’t a one off you need to repeat it several times to show that it works predictably. I don’t hate this part of my work, but it can get a bit dull.
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