chemistry question #115

Colin Groves, a 15 year old male from Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.A. asks on January 5, 2000,

Q:

How do you become a scientist? What do scientists do in a normal day? What did you study in college and how long were you there? What sorts of problems do scientists have?
viewed 14182 times

the answer

Barry Shell answered on January 5, 2000, A:

  1. To become a scientist, you have to go to university and get several degrees in the sciences.

  2. Many practicing scientists divide their time between research, teaching and writing about their research, usually in the form of scientific papers to be published in special magazines.

  3. Personally, I studied organic chemistry, but a lot of other things too. I was in college for 7 years.

  4. One of the greatest difficulties scientists face today is that they must make their research seem to fit a corporate agenda. That means that they have to show that what they are doing will make a profit. This is not the way to discover something really unique.

Add to or comment on this answer using the form below.
(required)
(required if you would like a response)
Note: All submissions are moderated prior to posting.
If you found this answer useful, please consider
making a small donation to science.ca.