• Question: Why did you chose to go down the science route @Jon F

    Asked by alexander to Jon F on 25 Jan 2016.
    • Photo: Jon Farrow

      Jon Farrow answered on 25 Jan 2016:

      The short answer: because there’s so much about the universe that’s unknown and science is a really good method for uncovering the truth.

      The longer answer:
      To be clear, I’m wouldn’t call myself a “scientist”. I’ve studied science and I love learning about it, but I’m not the one uncovering any truths. Rather, I’m a science communicator. I find ways to share what I learn, get people excited, and encourage them to get involved in science.

      One of the things I particularly love is when science is interdisciplinary. I studied a lot of astrobiology, the study of life in the universe, which needs expertise from biology, chemistry, astronomy, geology, and many other fields besides. This year’s CHRISTMAS LECTURES were a lot like that too. Keeping people alive in space requires thousands of people with all sorts of expertise, from doctors, engineers, and physicists to botanists and psychologists.

      What I’ve learned in my (admittedly very short) career is that I love working in the centre of these webs of smart people, helping them communicate with each other and with the public.

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