• Question: Why is your research important to you?

    Asked by anon-260045 to Alison, Andy, Allyson, NuclearJames, Eric on 25 Sep 2020.
    • Photo: James Smallcombe

      James Smallcombe answered on 25 Sep 2020:

      It’s important to me because its my career, my hobby and my main interest. I think it’s important for everyone because knowledge is the most powerful thing humans have, pushing and expanding what we know about the world and how it works is what we should all aim for. Nuclear physics in particular is important because it tells us about where the atoms that make up ourselves and everything around us come from, and as direct benefit we get nuclear power and nuclear medicine.

    • Photo: Allyson Lister

      Allyson Lister answered on 25 Sep 2020: last edited 25 Sep 2020 12:33 pm

      There are three main parts to doing science. First, asking a question. Second, running an experiment to test that question. And finally, the third part is sharing and checking your results. These three steps are like one big circle; scientists go around and around, running an experiment again and again. They only stop when they are sure that the data is good enough.

      While most scientists focus on the first two parts, my research happens in the third part. My research is important to me because scientists HAVE TO share their data correctly in order for science to work. What would happen if scientists never shared their work? Or, if they only shared their work by mailing their lab notebook to one person at a time? Or if they wrote down their experiments in such messy handwriting that no-one could understand it?

      In order for scientific data to have any value at all, scientists need to be expert sharers.

      My job makes sure that all of us scientists share our research in ways that are easy to understand, easy to find, and easy to use.

    • Photo: Andy Timms

      Andy Timms answered on 1 Oct 2020:

      Answering questions is what science is all about, and it’s the part of the job that I personally find the most interesting. So coming up with relevant questions and doing the research, then persuading other people that your answers are actually valid, it’s just a great way to spend the day. I still haven’t lost that excitement of opening the incubator door and seeing yesterdays results for the first time.

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