Heres a quick round up of some interesting answers to the questions I was asking: Assistant Professor of Practice, NYU-ECNU Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China, When it comes to basic sciences, research is full of potholes waiting to trip you, setbacks waiting to strip you of confidence, and few and far between these troughs, the sudden, unexpected glimpses of success. - Aspire to experience the intellectual delight of creating something; - Aspire to give back to society; - The desire to be respected. After all, it is curiosity (of all types) and the desire to get to the bottom of things that gave birth to the early spiritual quests and to scientific exploration. Effect: This approach shifts the conversation to one that is not judgmental and might actually be helpful by exploring another dimension. Effect: This approach can actually elicit the real purpose of your presence and may even catch you out as, hopefully, the expected contribution may be reasonable and appropriate. Now, rather true to my childhood origins, I regularly study trilobites and am interested in documenting many different aspects of arthropod evolution. Foraging behavior links ecological variation to ecological adaptation in the context of this atoms to ecosystems model of biophysically constrained energy-dependent RNA-mediated protein folding chemistry. We like that! Think about how you realized the questions that were bubbling up in your mind. The system even integrates popular content spinning and link indexing tools so you can submit URLs even faster and get the most out of your backlinks. When I was about five years old, my father showed me the fossil of an extinct animal called a trilobite: ancient organisms that lived within even older oceans. 16 min read, Join us in celebrating Peer Review Week 2019! Include specific example to support your response. Hovering abovethe master mixes, the manuscripts and the strategic decisions that may or may not extend your career in academic research is this fundamental question: what is ones motivation to be an academic scientist? In other words, by being curious about new kinds of food, about creating new tools, and about the use of fire for cooking, humans probably enhanced their own ability to be curious. Are we basing our actions on previous experiences and never questioning that those early experiences no longer exist? I knew from then on that I would be a scientist. Icons made by various authors from www.flaticon.com, Experiential Live Edit: How to improve Biomed manuscripts, Editing and proofreading services for a publication-ready manuscript, Customized service packs to match all publication needs, Expert help for all academic translation needs, What motivates you to do research? Cactus Communications. Depression: Goodbye Serotonin, Hello Stress and Inflammation, How Blame and Shame Can Fuel Depression in Rape Victims, Getting More Hugs Is Linked to Fewer Symptoms of Depression, Interacting With Outgroup Members Reduces Prejudice, You Can't Control Your Teen, But You Can Influence Them. What motivates academic scientists to engage in research The 'Why' Behind Asking Why: The Science of Curiosity Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, I have always been curious about the world and universe we live in. Weve seen that asking questions especially the right questions, can lead to a new understanding of an issue that may have been obscured by confusing facts, conflicting opinions, or obsolete assumptions. It makes each one of us smarter and brings ease to our life. Learning physics in high school was the pinnacle of me beginning to understand why the universe is the way it is. Over the years I have met many scientists and the reasonsthat attracted them to a career in research are plenty. It's important for leaders to assess their teams strengths, hopes, dreams, and the culture before leaping into major decisions. I reached out to a few of them, looking for answers to a couple of simple questions: The thoughts they shared with me were not very different from some Tweets I had found and I share both in this piece. Children of empathic parents thrive. As you read this, scientists the world over are rushing to find out more about the COVID-19 Omicron variant. In a related experiment, neuroscientists Matthias Gruber, Bernard Gelman, and Charan Ranganath discovered that the activation of the brain in the case of epistemic curiosity precisely followed the pathways that transmit dopamine signals. Humans are born with natural curiosity and due to this instinct, we have proceeded to try figure out ways to explain the world around us. One part of the answer is known: Because we are primates. I hadnt considered issues of identity or community in these still-novel digital settings. A scientist is inquisiti. from Aayati Sengupta, How outcome switching is rendering clinical trials meaningless, Open Data in Science - Embracing Open Data for Scientific Progress. First, intrinsic motivation is when you do something because you find it gratifying, such as reading a novel because you enjoy the story. Though this remains a proverbially uphill battle, it may be more accurate to label it an up-cliff war. Formulate questions that would tell you what you would like to know. In a 2008 study researchers concluded that there appears to be a strong association between creativity and mood disorders. They find every "wrong result" of an experiment to be equally fascinating and thrilling. This usually occurs in adolescence. Binaural beats are a fascinating and exciting technology. Science would not exist if scientists did not question why. the most asked question on a daily basis as we go . And once in their fields, there can be political and economic pressures with which to contend. This directs attention to individual agency in the motivational process as actors strive to obtain valued outcomes through intentional behaviours. That is ultimately more fulfilling than anything else., PhD Candidate and Social Entrepreneur in North Carolina, 1) I'm always learning new things from amazing people and cool papers.2) My plampts don't mind when I smell bad after a workout. . "What does kind mean?" . This passion led me to where I am today an astrophysicist and data scientist trying to make sense of the universe (and other things) via observations and data analysis. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Trust in Media. Hawking's research has, improved our understanding of where we originated from and how the universe and its, View Mario Livio, Ph.D. is an astrophysicist, bestselling author of Galileo: And the Science Deniers and a popular speaker who has appeared on The Daily Show, 60 Minutes, and NOVA. Scientists ask many questions that end up leading to why. I defended my PhD more than 10 years ago, but I still vividly remember the challenges I faced. ISBN: 9780134746241 Author: Edward J. Tarbuck, Frederick K. Lutgens, Dennis G. Tasa Publisher: PEARSON Question What do you think motivates scientists to ask, "Why?" In other words, what inspires scientists to pursue their research? Mentoring can take so many different shapes and span many topics. So feel free to reach out and let me know what brought you to research and what keeps you or has kept you motivated through the years. How We Confuse Agency and Motivation at Work, Why You Hate Uncertainty, and How to Cope, What to Do When You Feel Annoyed by Your Partner, Negative Experiences Can Add Meaning to Your Life, Want to Be a Therapist? Curiosity, after all, its the engine of learning. How much money researchers make, managing Phd viva nervousness, and more. In primates, a brain that is ten times heavier also has ten times more neurons. This more efficient packing has given humans their first advantage, at least over nonprimate species. In other words, what inspires scientist to purse their research? Discuss the. Extend your peers' responses with additional examples about what