Wednesday, August 22, 2012

What do scientists do?

Really enjoyed reading this Ask Reddit thread:
All you scientists out there, what do you actually do on a daily basis?

Answers were provided from the technician level to the P.I. level, a mix of academia and industry.

Reading through the answers, I realized there were a lot of similarities in daily tasks, such as:
  • using a pipette to transfer liquids!
  • doing things to mice and rats!
  • gathering samples, which could mean adventuring into the wilderness to hunt them down or could mean dissecting rat brains!
  • preparing samples!
  • shooting lasers at things (my favorite)!
  • programming lab equipment!
  • repairing lab equipment!
  • operating lab equipment, which may mean pressing a button and waiting!
  • more fucking waiting!
  • plotting and analyzing data!
  • actively avoiding your boss and/or administrative staff!
  • reading research papers!
  • writing research papers! 
  • writing grant proposals! 
  • wasting time on reddit to avoid doing any of the above!
  • drinking a lot of fucking coffee!

In other words, it's just a job, like anything else.

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