• Question: Did you have many problems during the research process?

    Asked by anon-303353 on 7 Dec 2021.
    • Photo: Alexander De Bruin

      Alexander De Bruin answered on 26 Nov 2021:

      All the time, but that’s one of the things that makes it fun. Solving problems that come up is part of my role and part of being a scientist

    • Photo: Michael Hills

      Michael Hills answered on 26 Nov 2021:

      Lots of issues come up during general research. Reactions not going as planned, equipment not working and just bad ideas are all common things to encounter. But quite often problem solving is the most rewarding part of working in science! Looking back and seeing you’ve overcome something, or now have a better understanding because you’ve had to work harder or do work multiple times to get it right is just part of the job 🙂

    • Photo: Joel Turner

      Joel Turner answered on 26 Nov 2021:

      All the time, things or don’t work and sometimes it’s really difficult to deal with. I spent 6 months getting data from a machine we didn’t know wasn’t working right, and that was all wasted. The important thing is to try and remember that every problem and mistake gives you a chance to learn more about the science you’re trying to do.

    • Photo: Andrew McDowall

      Andrew McDowall answered on 26 Nov 2021:

      Plenty of problems but somethimes they work out for the best. A friend had trouble with water getting into his reactions but in cleaning up the ruined reaction spotted some small crystals in the bottom of his flask. In testing them he discovered a whole new family of boron cages that he wouldn’t have found if he didn’t have problems.

    • Photo: Maike Wilschnack

      Maike Wilschnack answered on 26 Nov 2021:

      Yes, I agree with what everyone else said. Sometimes it is hard to stay motivated when nothing seems to go right, but in the end we learn from our mistakes.

    • Photo: Natasha Marchant

      Natasha Marchant answered on 29 Nov 2021:

      There are always lots of problems to solve, but that’s just part of being a scientist (and can sometimes be the fun part!). You definitely have to have a lot of patience as a scientist to help you get through the tricky parts when things go wrong.

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