10 Weird but Wonderful Research Stories that Will Keep You Motivated
Science and research is a life and career of long-term commitment, integrity and determination. Appreciation and incentive are often low, and funds are short which can demotivate people from choosing to this path. However, if your do work on a splendid research question, and decide to publish your thesis, it is never a loss for you, and definitely and great contribution to the world. Some of the science stories can be really inspiring for young researchers of the time-
- Carolyn Porco’s Cassini Mission- Carolyn Porco is a planetary scientist who was the leader of the imaging team Cassini Mission that was scheduled to launch their second mission on Saturn in 2016. During the first mission, Carolyn’s team had discovered the seven moons on Saturn and several new rings, and in the next, they made sure about the planet’s upper atmosphere and innermost rings. Her TED talks are awestriking and inspirational.
- Black Holes, Event Horizons and Relativity by Pawan Kumar- The theories about the Universe are astonishing and fascinating at the same time. The heart of the galaxy is believed to have strong gravitational force which pulls everything within. The concept of supermassive black holes had thus emerged. Pawan Kumar, an Indian astrophysicist teamed up with his student, Wenbin Lu and worked in Harvard to find out which hard environment in the galaxy had this enormous strength and eventually proved Einstein’s theory further.
- Poison Frogs- The biodiversity around us is almost magical. There are researches and scientific experiments being carried out each day. In case you wish to publish your thesis on animal life, the question of poison frogs not poisoning themselves is a must read for inspiration. Rebecca Tarvin, a postdoctoral fellow in Integrative Biology at the University of Texas, teamed up with researchers, including professors David Cannatella and Harold Zakon, and what they found along the way may have implications for the study of human pain and addiction.
- Vena Medical’s endoscope- Some scientific discoveries have a long way to go in the medical field. Life-saving experiments are often invented by young research fellows like Michael Phillips and Phillip Cooper. Mechanical engineers created an endoscope that provides a real-time navigational perspective for physicians through SWIRVE, an acronym for shortwave infrared vascular endoscope. Their project started as a capstone topic, but later on received funds from major organizations like FedDev, Ontario and University of Waterloo.
- Mary Maynard Daly- Some scientific stories become legends, which we read and re-read for understanding science as well as for inspiration. Daly was the first African American woman to earn a Ph. D. in chemistry from Columbia university in 1947. She made huge contribution to composition and metabolism of components in the cell nucleus. Later, she had improved opportunities for minorities in colleges and universities of graduate studies in America.
- Time to give birth- Pregnancies and deliveries are crucial times in a woman’s life. Also, the family wants to ensure that a birth takes place in the healthy environment under optimum observations and conditions. Unprecedented or unscheduled deliveries can be risky for both the mother and child. Texas associate professor of statistics James, Scott, along with his team discovered that around hour 9 of a doctor’s 12-hour shift, the risks go up. A surprising revelation that can save many lives.
- Peggy Whitson’s Record Walk- Peggy Whitson is NASA astronaut who is the most experience female astronaut of the team. She became the first female commander of the ISS in 2007. During her 16th expedition, she broke the female record for spacewalks. Life of science can be adventurous too.
- HH Timing by Andrew Hall- Andrew Hall is a system designing engineering graduate who has designed a new timing and strategy software tool that tracks and analyzes race performance and conditions. HH Timing uses machine learning to analyze factors like lap times, weather, car balance, tire wear, and competitor’s positions, and feeds this information to the race team in real time. This broad and immediate analysis allows the team to make informed decisions to improve performance. It is never impossible to publish your thesis with your passion for games and adventure, and Andrew Hall proves it.
- Ayanna Howard- As an American robot scientist, she has been named one of the top most innovators of the world for her contributions to the impact of global warming on Antarctic ice shelfs. She began as an intern at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and ended up working there for several years before moving to her current position as a robotics professor at Georgia Institute of Technology.
- Mary Kenneth Keller- She became one of the pioneers of computer science, by earning one of the two very first doctorate degree in US, in the field in 1965. Before that, she broke the rule of recruitment of men only in the Dartmouth College, when she was allowed to work there as a computer scientist. There she helped develop the computer language, BASIC.
So, science is not just about suffering. It is about accomplishments, breaking records, making new milestones and helping the world. Great ideas transform into theories with science. These inspiring stories can motivate many to pursue their research and ideas with conviction and integrity.
