Question: Is it difficult to find inspiration for an experiment?

Asked by romy to Darren, Krystal, Lee, Tara, Upulie on 16 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by ravindi.

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  1. Photo: Krystal EvansKrystal Evans
    answered on 15 Jun 2011:

    There are lots of ways I get inspiration to do an experiment. The main one is talking to other scientists in my lab group and at my Institute about what they do and how it relates to what I do. There are hundreds of scientists working at WEHI, and so there is usually someone who can help me out with my ideas.

    Like yesterday I had a meeting with a scientist who works on cells called neutrophil, which are an important cell in the immune system. I want to find out more about what neutrophils do during malaria infection, so we talked about the kinds of methods he uses in his lab, and we are going to do some experiments together next week! I like the fact that science involves a lot of team work 🙂

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  2. Photo: Tara FernandezTara Fernandez
    answered on 16 Jun 2011:

    Sometimes we all hit roadblocks….

    But by chatting to other people, especially more experienced researchers, and getting ideas from what other scientists working on similar projects are doing, we can get new ideas on how to move forward!

    And drinking lots of coffee helps too… 🙂

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  3. Photo: Lee WalshLee Walsh
    answered on 16 Jun 2011:

    I found it much harder when I was starting. I was less experienced with what was possible, less familiar with what has been done, etc. As I have become more experienced and broadened my areas of research I can always think of something to do that’s important.

    The problem is I now have a growing set of questions and hypothesis that I can’t test with experiments. Sometimes that can be solved by talking to colleagues, but sometimes it’s just not possible (yet) to measure what is needed.

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