Ex. 3. Skim the text (paragraphs A-H) and choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the correct number in the spaces provided
| List of headings | Paragraphs |
| 1. Last but not least: communication | Paragraph A … |
| 2. Keep it simple | Paragraph B … |
| 3. Important traits | Paragraph C … |
| 4. Creativity is essential | Paragraph D … |
| 5. Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end | Paragraph E … |
| 6. The making of a scientist | Paragraph F … |
| 7. Fascinated like a child | Paragraph J … |
| 8. Persistence | Paragraph H … |
Do you have the personality traits to be a successful scientist?
We're all familiar with the caricatures of scientists on TV and in movies. They always seem to be a little bit odd. There’s Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory”, who is a scientific genius. There's Doc Brown from “Back to the Future”, who is absent-minded and awkward. Hollywood loves to over-emphasize and dramatize personality traits of scientists. I think the purpose of this is to set these characters apart from the “Average Joe”. In fact, scientists aren't like what we see in the movies. What are traits that scientists share? Besides being intelligent, skilled in their craft and interested in the work, what personal characteristics do scientists have that are essential to being able to do the work?
A.In my opinion, the most important personality traits that the best scientists possess are powerfully critical and analytical minds. Sometimes scientists are so critical that this causes problems within interpersonal relationships. I myself hardly ever believe anything unless there is evidence. I've been told that I tend to overanalyze day-to-day problems and this makes me seem rigid, impersonal. I often treat others' personal issues like analytical problems to solve. Maybe this is true when it comes to interpersonal relationships, but without a doubt, success in a scientific career requires a fundamental mindset that relies on fact, evidence and objectivity. Every step of every experiment or analysis requires critical evaluation to ensure it is significant, reproducible and impartial. The reason for being such a critical thinker is that answers to research questions are always discovered in this way. At its core, science is objective, impersonal, reproducible and verifiable.
B.Hand-in-hand with the ability to be a critical thinker is a natural tendency to see the world in parsimonious terms, i.e., when one has two competing theories that make exactly the same prediction, he chooses the simplest one. The answer to a question is the simplest one if it doesn't involve extraneous steps of unnecessarily complex theories. The natural world tends to operate in as energy-efficient means as possible therefore, solutions to scientific problems tend to be found in the simplest routes. Practically speaking, if you are conducting your research and designing an experimental plan that involves multiple needlessly complicated steps, it will lead you to failure. The best scientific researchers are those that look for parsimonious answers.
C.Relying on logical deduction is another fundamental personality trait I always observe in scientists. Without a doubt, answers to scientific questions are those that fit data and do not pose logical contradictions. They are not only parsimonious but also logical. Another way to say this is that explanation for the data must be coherent, rational, and it must take into account all previous theories in the field.
D.I have also noticed that the best scientists act like children in a candy store when they are immersed in their research. They have an almost innocent, naive love for their work. I think this speaks to a deep-down curiosity and amazement with the complexity, and beauty in the natural world, and a basic love for discovery.
E.Creativity is also a very important trait for the scientist. The common perception of scientists is that they lack imagination and are only interested in cold hard facts. While it is true that scientists look for facts as evidence, the very best scientists are actually quite creative. They are able to design experiments that others haven't, ask questions others haven't thought of before, and communicate their findings in interesting and imaginative ways.
F.Another essential personality trait shared by successful scientists is stubbornness. You may not take this seriously, but to me being stubborn means being dedicated to your work, being patient, and not giving up when research or an experiment goes wrong.
G.If you believe the caricatures of scientists, you think that they are bad communicators and incapable of social interactions. This couldn't be further from the truth, because the most successful scientists are actually excellent communicators. They can communicate as well as design and implement their research. The best scientists are able to relate complex research concepts into terms accessible to colleagues, specialists and non-specialists alike.
H.Of course, all of us working in research are different people and we have different strengths and weaknesses. Some of us are excellent critical thinkers, but are poor communicators. Some of us may be extremely passionate about the work, but are unable to navigate and persevere along the difficult road of research success and failure. There is no absolute requirement to possess the traits I've described, but I believe the best scientists are the ones that share most of these characteristics.