• Question: Who do you wish to be as big as in the future?

    Asked by sophieekettle to Joel, Kristian, Tim, Venus, Zachary on 19 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: Tim Hollowood

      Tim Hollowood answered on 19 Nov 2013:

      Scientists are just normal people so obviously we like to have our work recognised as being significant and smart. So we can dream of having a discovery that makes us as famous as Einstein or Peter Higgs who has just got the Nobel prize. But that’s probably unrealistic. In the end I don’t want fame like that all I want to do is to understand how the universe works and to share a little of the buzz of doing science.

    • Photo: Kristian Harder

      Kristian Harder answered on 19 Nov 2013:

      I really don’t think of it this way. I have no particular idles. I am trying to pursue my interest and do the best job I can, but I don’t think I’ll ever be a particularly famous scientist. Maybe there are too many other things important to me in my life, above all of course my family, to really focus that much on a career. Because especially for us experimenters, working in teams of 1000s of scientists together, becoming big is not just about being the best scientist, it’s also a matter of career strategy and politics, and I prefer not to spend too much effort in that area.
      You could even say that my focus is on trying to *avoid* becoming big, especially when it comes to body mass index. 🙂 I just worked hard earlier this year to reduce my weight by more than 10 kg, and I don’t want to put it all back on now.

    • Photo: Zachary Williamson

      Zachary Williamson answered on 20 Nov 2013:

      Hmmmmm

      There’s a big difference between what I’d like to be, and what I’m likely to become! When it comes to wishing then, sure, I want to have loads of fantastic discoveries under my belt and a Nobel prize to show for it, a modern day Einstein!

      But realistically, if I can just add to the sum total of human knowledge then I’ll be happy. People like Einstein only come along once per generation, and it sure ‘aint me.

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