• Question: what do you find enjoyable about your work?

    Asked by eloisebrown to Alice JB, Andy, Barbara, James, Jo on 13 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Andy Norton

      Andy Norton answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      In terms of experimental work, my favourite aspect is probably the microscopy stuff that I do. I do a lot of transmission electron microscopy (or TEM). So, this is like a normal microscope that you’ve probably used before, but rather than using light it uses electrons. So these electrons come down a big chamber, and through my sample. When they go through my sample, they get bent a bit (it’s like when you’ve been swimming. Ever noticed when you have your head outside the water, that when you try to grab something that it is in the water you miss? It’s because the light is shifted a little bit. It’s sort of like what happens in this microscope). They electron then come down, and I can see my image. I get to see stuff which is 300, 000 or 400, 000 times bigger than it is in reality, meaning that I get to look at some pretty tiny bits of deformation! So, that’s probably my favourite technique. But my favourite overall aspect is when everything sort of comes together – when I can tie together all my different techniques and results, and end up with an answer. That’s very exciting.

      Other bits that I find enjoyable are doing the Open Days for students – we always seem to have lots of very interested, hard working young people to do our experiments. It’s always really nice chatting to them about the things that they enjoy and seeing their faces light up when you show them something really exciting! – and teaching the undergraduate students, who are always full of excellent questions and comments.

    • Photo: Barbara Guinn

      Barbara Guinn answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      It is great when an experiment works. Some of our T cell experiements take 3 months and then don’t work. It took 18 months to get one to work and then we needed to repeat it three times, so when we got it to work and give us important information about how T cells can kill cancer cells that was enjoyable. getting positive feedback from students, when I’ve helped them learn or understand something (usually a practical) that is enjoyable. And travelling, I really love. I can combine my love of genetics/immunology and travelling by being a scientist. 🙂

    • Photo: James Jennings

      James Jennings answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      There’s alot of it that I do enjoy, now that I have spent alot of time doing research in this area. Its the same enjoyment you get from something that you have been doing for a while and get good at- a sport, a game, whatever it may be! Experiments start to work the way I expect, and then I can think of loads of new ideas of new experiments to carry out. This means more data, and as you may be learning, scientists love data!

      Also, as a PhD student I have been teaching and managing students – the “undergraduates”, who are a couple of years younger than the PhD students. We have the freedom to think up what science they should investigate, and what experiments they do. Its great to see them begin to enjoy the work as well, and maybe even consider going into research as I have. Passing on the love of science is another thrill scientists will often tell you about- me included!

    • Photo: Alice Jones Bartoli

      Alice Jones Bartoli answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      I love that I get paid to follow pretty much whatever I like. I have the freedom to research the questions that I’m interested in answering, and I get to work with some other very cool people (no, really).

      I like working with other people, and being part of team that’s working on a big project. I work with psychologists who have different types of expertise, and together we try to come up with new ways to think about, and treat, behaviour problems. It’s brilliant to see change in children who are have been having a very bad time, and it’s great to be able to feed that sort of thing back to the ‘powers that be’ who control the money for this sort of school-based work.

      I also enjoy working with students at university. I didn’t think that I’d like teaching as much as I do, but I like supervising students and seeing them do exciting work. It’s brilliant when my students finish their degree at university and go on to start their own careers.

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