what sort of things do you do being a scientist?

Question: what sort of things do you do being a scientist?

Asked by molliemoo to Hermine, Katy, Laura, Nathalie, Paula on 14 Jun 2010 in Categories: Scientist. This question was also asked by linguofu.
- Paula Salgado answered on 13 Jun 2010:
  
  Hi Mollie
  
  My research is very interdisciplinary so I get to do many different things as a scientist. I has a bit of biology (microbiology, actually), a bit of chemistry, some physics, some maths and computing – lots going on! I’ll try to give you a general idea:
  
  I have to do a bit of biology work when we first start to work on a new protein. The idea is simple: we want bacterial cells to produce the protein we’re interested but that is something it wouldn’t normally do. So we introduce DNA into the cells and then grow then in big flasks. We then have to separate our protein of interest from the rest of the cell – that’s called protein purification and it involves many different steps in the lab.
  
  Then comes a bit of chemistry when I have to crystallise my protein. This means we have to find the right chemical conditions where a solution of our protein goes from clear to forming ordered structures, the crystals that are a bit like diamonds but on a very, very small scale.
  
  The physics side of my work comes in when I have to use special machines called synchrotrons. They produce very, very powerful X-rays that can give lots of pictures of my protein crystal. If you want to know a bit more about synchrotrons, BBC had a special piece on the one in Oxfordshire that you can see here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10291008.stm?lsRT
  
  From the pictures I get, I then have to use my computer to create a 3D model of my protein and then analyse it to understand how it works. This is were computing and maths come to help my research.
  
  A key part or our work is to communicate our results to others, so I have to write papers to submit to scientific journals, go to conferences to discuss our work with other scientists, prepare talks to other colleagues in out University. I also have to help supervise students – from undergraduate to PhD as well as master students.
  
  Hope that gives you a better idea of the kind of thins I do. 😉
- Hermine Schnetler answered on 13 Jun 2010:
  
  I am actually a graduated engineer working in science. Having said that I guess if I compare my degree courses with that of a physics graduate then I guess I am also a scientist. I have a BSc in Electronics Engineering, a MSc in Systems Engineering and a PhD in Software Engineering. As such I am responsible for the design and development of astronomical instrumentation. Firstly I have to define and capture the requirements. Then I work with the engineers from the other engineering disciplines (optical, mechanical, electrical, electronics and software) to come up with a design. Which ones we have analyse the design and we are sure it will deliver the expected performance we will start to build the instrument. Once it has been made we will test and verify the performance before we will install it at the telescope.
- Nathalie Pettorelli answered on 14 Jun 2010:
  
  Hi there,
  
  I mainly read to keep up-to-date with what’s going on in the world of science, analyse data, write articles, applications and reports, supervise students, and travel to meet up with colleagues in various places in the world (to discuss future projects and current progresses, or to present my work and the outcomes in conferences and meetings). And sometimes I teach, in the UK or abroad.
  Have a great day
  Nathalie
- Katy Mee answered on 14 Jun 2010:
  
  At the moment, answering all your questions!!
  
  Well my job varies depending on what projects I’m working on but at the moment it mostly involves sitting at my desk working on 3D modelling projects – i use specialist computer software to make 3D models of the ground beneath our feet. One of the models i’m currently building is of a coal field in South Wales, we’re trying to work out how much coal is left. I’m creating a similar model of some sand and gravel deposits in the London area. Sand and gravel don’t sound very exciting but they’re used in building foundations so they are extremely important materials for the construction industry and we actually import a lot of our sand and gravel from abroad. This is expensive and not very good for the environment so if we can find our own resources in the UK, that would be much better.
- Laura Dixon answered on 14 Jun 2010:
  
  Lots and lots. Being a scientist is like being an investigator – you find a problem, research into it then try to solve it! So there is a fair amount of background reading, lots of planning before an experiment, data collection and analysis. Plus helping other scientists, going to conferences, sometimes we do a bit of teaching at various Uni’s, writting papers, reviewing papers for journals and in my case, I get to play with animals 🙂

Question: what sort of things do you do being a scientist?

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