They always say that after you have a baby, your relationships tend to suffer. And my relationship with science has probably suffered the most. I've been a little distracted this past year (go figure), and so I've just been barely scraping by in lab. Just barely focusing long enough to get my experiments done, but not long enough to do the really fun things in science. And when you're just barely scraping by, it's easy to get bogged down in the nasty bits: the failed experiments, the boring repetitiveness of benchwork. Yuck. I need more, as Miss Prism puts it, thinky scribbly fun time.
And so, in keeping with Miss Prism's style of "5 Tips to Rekindle Your Love Affair", I resolve to:
1. Talk more.
I resolve to start approaching my boss more reqularly for science-related chats (instead of just data-interpretation assistance).
2. Try something new.
I'll be taking a computational genomic analyis course this quarter. As someone trained in classic genetic analysis, this is a brave new world...
3. Get away together.
I'll be registering to attend at least one conference this year, even though it will mean time away from the Bean. A big step, but conferences always remind me why I *heart* science so much.
4. Listen to each other.
I'm going to start listening to NPR's "Science Friday" in the lab. Science Friday always stimulates some good debates, and serves to remind us that science doesn't exist in a vacuum.
5. Develop outside interests.
I resolve to start reading one paper a week on something outside my field. Because I love all kinds of science, not just my own.
With a little more effort, I think I can rekindle my love for science. It's still there, it's just buried under a heap of uninterpretable data. This year I'm gonna dig it back out.
scientiae carnival
6 comments:
I love your resolutions! The "buried under a heap of uninterpretable data" is all too familiar.
I love this post! I hope I'll be able to keep the flame going in my own relationship with science! :)
What a great post! I've been suffering with this same problem since my twins were born more than 2 years ago. Treating your love of/with science is a great idea. Can I steal it?
Your resolutions sound great! (and also a lot of fun!)
It can happen in the humanities too! My love of film has been worn away by administrative duties eather than a cute baby but the result is the sme. I am going to try the five tips!
Great post with great ideas... I think I'll adopt them myself. I haven't really thought about being in a "relationship with science" but I think it sums things up pretty well.
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