• Question: r u clever

    Asked by rania to James, Marcus, Martin, Rob, Suzanne on 16 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Suzanne McEndoo

      Suzanne McEndoo answered on 16 Mar 2012:

      I’m a bit clever with maths and science, but I never did well at languages in school. Being clever isn’t that important for being a scientist though. What matters is being curious about the world, working hard to understand it and being really, really stubborn when things aren’t working.

    • Photo: Marcus Gallagher-Jones

      Marcus Gallagher-Jones answered on 16 Mar 2012:

      There are many ways to be considered clever and I definitely don’t fit all of them. I’m lucky in that I have a very good long term memory and I can visualise complex ideas like pictures. I am however pretty rubbish at maths and my spelling still leaves something to be desired.

      Everyone has something they are ‘clever’ at I feel you just need to find it and not compare yourself to others. Being a scientist is not about being clever. It’s about being curious about what goes on around you and applying what you know or being willing enough to work at learning new things to be able to understand. It’s cliche but a teacher once told me “Science is about 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration”. Putting the effort in is really how we get results.

    • Photo: Martin Zaltz Austwick

      Martin Zaltz Austwick answered on 16 Mar 2012:

      I suppose so. I think most people are cleverer than they think though – they’re just not always given a chance to use their brains.

    • Photo: Robert Thompson

      Robert Thompson answered on 16 Mar 2012:

      I wouldn’t say I was any cleverer than my friends who do other jobs. I’m lucky I have a job where I use my brain a lot and get given the time to think about things.

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