The Personal Side Of Scientific Research

Once, just because an extra sample tube was available, I added a second negative control to an experiment and discovered excellent termite-killing activity in a sample I'd expected would have none. Without that spare tube, I'd never have invented and patented a termiticide. In writing up my results, I did not describe the actual process--including my use of the spare tube--that took me from research problem to research conclusions. Yet I know I am not the only scientist who describes results in this manner. Reports, seminars, and papers often do not adequately describe the process by which researchers make discoveries. This phenomenon leads me to what I consider a larger problem in science today--inattention to "the personal factor." To me, science is not just equipment, precedents, research problems, and data analysis. It's also the process of collaborating, of finding inspiration, of daydreaming and arguing, of listening, of having the courage to follow a hunch. Yet how much of your training helped you with these personal factors? Are the unusual routes to such breakthroughs as Teflon, Minoxidil, aspartame, and the polymerase chain reaction just human-interest stories, or can they tell us something vital about our work? And how we can make it more productive? I can recall other "odd" discoveries from the work of my students and that of the scientists who worked for me in industry. And while consulting with industrial research laboratories over the past few years, I've learned of many more key advances that stemmed from unexpected observations; accidents; "failed" experiments; or chance, personal interactions. To those who remember Pasteur's dictum that "chance favors the prepared mind," my observations will not seem surprising. But exactly how does the mind prepare for science--and how do we make sure more minds are prepared? The technical requirements for science are taught in college and practiced daily on the job. To me, the personal factor--and its potential for increasing scientific creativity--has become the most promising route to promoting productivity in science. To increase our emphasis on the personal factors, we must look at areas like self-confidence, alertness, versatility, enthusiasm, focus, and interaction among colleagues. We can learn something about the personal side of science from books and articles on historic discoveries. While these writings about headline-grabbing discoveries are often interesting, they usually seem irrelevant to our own work. There's another source of information on the actual scientific process--our own records. Yet how often do we return to articles or notebooks, seeking to analyze our efforts, successful and otherwise? Such retrospection and introspection about the personal side of science can yield invaluable insights. Why did we decide not to try approach X--even though it had helped someone else solve a similar problem? Were we unaware of that at the time? Why did we halt at point Y? Was it a lack of money, enthusiasm, equipment, experience, or technique? Was the decision, in hindsight, valid? The personal side is important not just for individual researchers, but also for managers in laboratories. Here, I think a mentor program, which gives researchers convenient access to their most successful colleagues, may be the most effective means of teaching the personal side of science. Yet in my experience, this is rarely provided. If scientists really study how they work, I think the results will be visible in improved meetings, increased creativity, greater focus, and better chances to take advantage of surprising findings. No longer should we take the personal side of research for granted. The pressures today are too intense; the environment is too competitive and complex. Instead, the personal side should be a focus during training and throughout careers. Winston J. Brill, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, heads Winston J. Brill & Associates in Madison, Wis., which consults on R&D productivity and creativity.

The Personal Side Of Scientific Research

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