• Question: do you ever get conplaints from people about not liking what you do

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      Asked by anon-290172 on 15 Mar 2021.
      • Photo: Jessica Higgins

        Jessica Higgins answered on 15 Mar 2021:

        Nuclear energy is sometime seen as controversial but I wouldn’t be working in it if I genuinely believed it does more harm than good. Often when I say I work in nuclear, people assume I make nuclear weapons and I have to explain what a nuclear reactor is and how it doesn’t produce any carbon dioxide but does produce some radioactive waste. Whether people agree with it or not I’m always happy to have a conversation about the issue.

      • Photo: Martin McCoustra

        Martin McCoustra answered on 15 Mar 2021:

        I once had an argument with someone who believed that the Universe popped into existence because god wanted it! After 3 hours of arguing with him, I realised that it was not worth the effort to try and correct this false view. He simply believed and had never been taught to properly think for himself.

      • Photo: Atia Azad

        Atia Azad answered on 15 Mar 2021:

        Hi,

        The battery I study is used for military and defence purposes, so sometimes there are people who say my work is not moral. The same battery is also used for space landings and no one complains about that!

      • Photo: Jesko Koehnke

        Jesko Koehnke answered on 15 Mar 2021:

        All the time, but I think that is a good thing. Justifying my work is a good way to reflect on what I am doing. Sometimes I end up understanding that the person was right and I take a different path.

      • Photo: Zuzanna Konieczna

        Zuzanna Konieczna answered on 15 Mar 2021:

        My current work tries to investigate Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and some of the work in our lab/a lot of current research focuses on earlier detection and diagnosis. I was once asked if I think it’s necessary and helpful to be able to diagnose these conditions early if there isn’t a cure. I thought it was a really interesting question, that sparked a conversation. Whilst it didn’t sway me from the project, I appreciated seeing a completely different viewpoint.

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