• Question: When you start an investigation, do you always have an objective that you have to reach?

    Asked by boxofstrawbs to James V, James P on 28 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: James Verdon

      James Verdon answered on 28 Jun 2012:


      Hi boxofstrawbs,
      We usually have an objective, yes. However, things don’t always turn out the way we plan. Sometimes during our investigations we find a new and better problem to be working on, so we switch our focus. Or we realise we weren’t asking the right questions in the first place, and have to change the project’s objectives. Luckily, as a scientist there’s usually a fair amount of freedom to do this.

    • Photo: James Pope

      James Pope answered on 28 Jun 2012:


      Hi boxofstrawbs,

      As James V has saif, we do start with an aim, but science being science it can end up with things changing. My group mate started his PhD in OCtober looking at ocean circulation, but is now doing some detailed work at how sea ice responds 3 million years ago to changes in the model, just because he found something weird in a result.

      It is great because it keeps you on your toes doing work and always keeps the science interesting!

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