• Question: what were your parents jobs and did they have an impact on your deciding to become a scientist

    Asked by anon-198922 to Srinath, Natasha, Nana, Luisa, Gautam, Alex on 12 Mar 2019.
    • Photo: Srinath Kasturirangan

      Srinath Kasturirangan answered on 12 Mar 2019:

      My dad was a lawyer. He did NOT want me to become one! He did not care what I ended up as but all he knew was he did not want me to become a lawyer!! I had some influence from other family members though – mainly my uncle who was this super nerd scientist – a radio astronomer. He would allow me to come sit in this nice air conditioned room in front of this COOL machine called the computer (35 years ago computer were not common place, neither was air conditioning, especially in India). We would sit for many hours and read interesting articles related to science. Soon I became more proficient than him with the computer and by the time I was 15, I was his trouble shooting expert whenever he had problems with this weird new invention called the Windows operating system that he NEVER understood or liked (he was a Linux / DOS guy if you even know what they are, if not look it up!) He would take me to the book store and allow me to buy any books I wanted – as long as it pertained to science! He really wanted me to do physics at Cambridge University but I ended up falling in love with Biology and becoming a biologist instead 🙂

    • Photo: Natasha Dowey

      Natasha Dowey answered on 13 Mar 2019: last edited 13 Mar 2019 5:22 pm

      My dad was an engineer, he built parts of aeroplanes in a big factory in Cornwall, was a proud socialist, was the secretary of his local trade union. He did not influence my career, but influenced my beliefs about right and wrong, and about society, a great deal.
      My mum is a pharmacist. She studied pharmacy at uni at a time when women didn’t typically go to uni, and juggled an amazing career of helping her community combat illness while juggling our family. She is a great inspiration to me, and to my scientific career. If I can be half the scientist she has been, I’ll be happy!

    • Photo: Alexander Allen

      Alexander Allen answered on 13 Mar 2019:

      Neither of my parents went to university. When I was a kid my mum was an office manageress and my dad was in the army. When I got a bit older my mum ended up working for the NHS as a medical secretary and my dad is a driver.

      I should stress I did not want to become a scientist because I wanted more options than they had but I did want to make them proud. They were thrilled with my going to university and even more thrilled that one day I will have a doctorate. (Academics don’t use the title Doctor outside of academia but technically having a PhD makes you one.)

      They mostly want me to do whatever makes me happy!

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