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Asked by to Kate, Kieren, Nicola, Rowena, Roy on 18 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
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Roy Adkin answered on 18 Mar 2014:
It depends on the work at hand. Performing an organic synthesis is quite difficult with more than just yourself but If there are a team of people brainstorming to come up with a solution to a problem then working with others is very good.
I delivered a presentation this afternoon to a bunch of 6th formers about meteorites and life on Mars. I knew about the meteorites and my colleague knew about astrobiology so if I didn’t work with him our presentation would only be half done. Often collaborations between scientists with different knowledge is very important and is the only way to get the job done.
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Rowena Fletcher-Wood answered on 18 Mar 2014:
A bit of both. I prefer to plan my experiments alone and I like to work on them myself beside other people in the lab, where we can help each other work, but still have ownership of our projects. Sometimes I like to do the dangerous toxic work alone early in the morning before anyone else is in because there are fewer things to worry about if I don’t take to concern myself baout the safety of other people working nearby.
When it comes to theory and analysing my results, I really like to work with other people, collaborating and discussing what they mean to reinforce my understanding, add to it and share ideas. I don’t think I ever do such good theory work alone!
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Kate Nicholson answered on 18 Mar 2014:
If I’m honest it depends on what mood I’m in. If I have headache then I like nothing better than hiding in the dark cupboard on my own – having worked here for a while I tend to be the one everyone runs to for help, and it can be a bit like working in a nursery at times!
Most of the time I like working with people, the constant teasing drives me to do better and I manage to do things I didn’t think I could do on my own. When working on the books I rely on the people around me for guidance, they know the history and how to care for them a lot better than I ever will, so I respect that and learn as much as I can from them.
Comments
Nicola commented on :
In my old research job I preferred to work on my own to do my experiments – as I am very precise about certain things – but then to discuss results and ideas in groups to help make decisions. However, this new research position is looking into imaging with MRI, and many of the experiments require 2-3 people to run them – and I quite like these group experiments