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Lateral Thinking in Science – Who Are You?

A photographic montage showing Laura Dern, Benedict Cumberbatch and Lennie James in various cinematic and TV roles as scientists. The caption asks: "What kind of scientist should you be?"What kind of Scientist are you?

Already this article is beginning to sound like one of those sempiternal quizzes you so often get on social media… but it actually shows how science reality connects.  Are you having a scientific identity crisis?

If you are ever unsure whether you are a computational botanist, think you might be a geochemical engineer, or have a hunch that you might well be a nano-molecular physicist after all, you will understand the feeling.  In our present scientific world, where astronomers get into (exo-) biology and geologists file their programming manuals next to their rock hammers, it can be hard to keep track.

 

Having a Scientific Identity Crisis?

You might wish there was some kind of flowchart to find out in which pigeon hole(s) you may best place your technical abilities.  Have no fear.  PhysicsWorld is here!

An infographic showing lateral thinking is important in a sciencist's career.

 

A cartoon where Art meets Science. A student and his supervisor are talking in a science laboratory while looking at an abstract painting of the Universe. The supervisor asks: "What is it?" The student replies: "You said to do an abstract".Behold, in the midst of this glorious interdisciplinary muddle, tidings of great clarity in time for the New Year 2016!  As it turns out, your scientific identity crisis could be solved with this simple flowchart…