Rocket Scientists, Brain Surgeons, and All That
15/04/10 12:31 Filed in: GenomeWeb Daily Scan
Submitted by S. Pelech - Kinexus on Thu, 04/15/2010 - 16:16.
While intelligence is an obvious ingredient for success as a scientist, just as important are high curiosity and tenacity. Science is not a 9 to 5 job that you just show up for. It's all consuming and those that are truly engaged in scientific research and discovery are essentially fanatical in their pursuit of knowledge. I have had the pleasure of knowing a few Nobel Prize winners. While these are smart people with some luck, their passion for their work is clearly an overriding factor. Interestingly, the rush that scientists experience in their eureka moments is a side benefit of their quest for "enlightment" as opposed to the major motivation for their commitment.
Link to the original blog post
While intelligence is an obvious ingredient for success as a scientist, just as important are high curiosity and tenacity. Science is not a 9 to 5 job that you just show up for. It's all consuming and those that are truly engaged in scientific research and discovery are essentially fanatical in their pursuit of knowledge. I have had the pleasure of knowing a few Nobel Prize winners. While these are smart people with some luck, their passion for their work is clearly an overriding factor. Interestingly, the rush that scientists experience in their eureka moments is a side benefit of their quest for "enlightment" as opposed to the major motivation for their commitment.
Link to the original blog post