[In lieu of profiles, the contributors to this blog have decided to do their own Reactions pieces…]<\/p>\n
1. What made you want to be a chemist?<\/em><\/p>\n I was a bit of a \u2018late bloomer\u2019 when it came to chemistry: I didn\u2019t own a chemistry set when I was growing up or run reactions in my garage. And I didn\u2019t really enjoy high school chemistry classes (though I liked that feeling you get after successfully balancing a complex chemical reaction…) But I had an amazing AP chemistry teacher in high school, so I went into college with an open mind. When I got there, I was drawn to organic and biological chemistry: I thought it was so cool that a chemist could (design and) synthesize a biologically-active organic molecule that could be used to tease apart a complex cellular process or could be developed into a drug.<\/p>\n 2. If you weren\u2019t a chemist\/Nature Editor and could do any other job, what would it be – and why?<\/em><\/p>\n Like Andy<\/a>, I probably would have been a musician – I play drums, jazz piano, various percussion instruments, and sing a bit. (I\u2019m trying to learn how to play guitar, but don\u2019t think my fingers are the right length\/shape – or maybe I just need to practice more?) I played in a few bands in graduate school (which really helped keep my spirits up when my chemistry wasn\u2019t working), and I miss the feeling you get when you\u2019re playing music with close friends in a dirty\/dusty basement…<\/p>\n 3. How can chemists best contribute to the world at large?<\/em><\/p>\n The simple answer is to work on an important scientific problem that isn\u2019t being adequately addressed by other chemists – easier said than done, though… I guess an important question to constantly ask is “why am I doing this experiment\/project?” As long as you know the answer to that question, then you are probably “contributing to the world at large” – if you can’t think of a good\/satisfying answer, maybe it’s time to change projects?<\/p>\n 4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with \u2013 and why?<\/em><\/p>\n If I had to choose a scientist, I\u2019d probably invite Linus Pauling or RB Woodward to dinner – I\u2019d be interested in hearing what they think about all the things scientists have discovered in the last few decades. If I could choose any historical figure, I think I\u2019d invite Oscar Wilde or John Coltrane \u2013 I imagine Wilde would be hilarious in person and I\u2019d love to hear Coltrane talk about music and tell stories about the jazz scene in the 50s and 60s…<\/p>\n 5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab – and what was it?<\/em><\/p>\n Several years ago \u2013 I can\u2019t remember exactly what it was, but it involved DNA<\/span> glycosylases…<\/p>\n 6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one CD would you take with you?<\/em><\/p>\n I think I\u2019d want to bring something I\u2019d read before\/knew I liked – so I\u2019d probably go with Tolstoy\u2019s Anna Karenina<\/em> or Eco\u2019s Foucault’s Pendulum<\/em>. As for music, I don\u2019t think I could survive if I only had a single CD – does a mix CD count? If so, I’d burn one that had the second movement of Beethoven\u2019s 7th Symphony, John Coltrane\u2019s Giant Steps<\/em>, Dizzy Gillespie\u2019s A Night in Tunisia<\/em>, Beck\u2019s Tropicalia<\/em>, Life In A Glass House<\/em> from Radiohead\u2019s Amnesiac and\/or Morning Bell<\/em> from Radiohead\u2019s Kid A, Stevie Wonder\u2019s Superstition<\/em>, and a few other tracks\u2026 (Thank goodness for iPods\u2026)<\/p>\n Joshua Finkelstein<\/a> is a Senior Editor for Nature<\/a><\/em> and a regular contributor to the Sceptical Chymist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [In lieu of profiles, the contributors to this blog have decided to do their own Reactions pieces\u2026] … Read more<\/a> Continue reading