• Question: Have you ever thought of doing something, like beating a world record of something?

    Asked by mabom12 to Jess, Ian on 11 Mar 2014.
    • Photo: Jess Smith

      Jess Smith answered on 11 Mar 2014:


      I would love to do something very remarkable, but the reality is that almost all of science is done as a team. Breakthroughs aren’t made by just one person, they are the work of hundreds and thousands of people added together, and it is actually very rewarding to be part of that.

      I have always been competitive and ambitious, but have now directed that towards working hard to make sure that I’m putting my all in to my work, and the science community. If that leads me to doing something remarkable then fantastic, if it doesn’t then that is ok too, at least I will have helped set a strong foundation for someone else to come in and do something great.

    • Photo: Ian Hands-Portman

      Ian Hands-Portman answered on 11 Mar 2014:


      Well I took up aerial hoop and flying trapeze, that’s got to count for something? 🙂 I could perform but I’m not actually very competitive – I’m not fussed about winning races or anything like that, I’d rather set my own standards and actually enjoy being truly terrible at sports.

      Is there a record for most questions answered on this site? I’d go for that..

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