• Question: what thrills you the most about your work?

    Asked by mattdickinson to Ben, Dave, Ed, Sam, Susana on 15 Jun 2013. This question was also asked by jackmclachlan2011.
    • Photo: David Briggs

      David Briggs answered on 15 Jun 2013:

      Making discoveries and seeing structures that no-one has ever seen before.

    • Photo: Ed Lowe

      Ed Lowe answered on 16 Jun 2013:

      Mainly it’s the thrill of seeing something completely new. I have imagine that seeing a molecule that no-one has ever seen before is probably a similar buzz to what explorers used to feel the discovering new places.

    • Photo: Susana Teixeira

      Susana Teixeira answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      The variety of different tasks it requires. I get bored easily and I would not be able to do a job that involves repetitive work for too long.
      So for example I need to be able to write and explain my work to other people (like I am doing now to you), but I also need to grab a spanner and other tools to work on the instruments I use. I can find myself traveling to conferences in exotic places, but also sitting quietly in the library reading books and articles to try and understand something new. I can honestly say I am constantly learning new things in my work.

    • Photo: Sam Horrell

      Sam Horrell answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      The fact that you never stop learning. I haven’t done physics since GCSE but now I’m learning so much and it’s fascinating.

    • Photo: Benjamin Hall

      Benjamin Hall answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      As has been said, it’s the constant learning.

      I think most people that go into science do so because they can’t imagine stopping learning once they leave school, sixth form or university.

      The learning gets even better though. Rather than learning about what other people have done by reading a text book, you start finding out the things that will end up in text books!

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