Lyndsay Fletcher
Solar physics is a group effort, and I work with a great team of people, and usually
spend a good part of each day with them, or on e-mail to them, batting ideas about, or
writing papers together. Every so often a nice treat comes up, like a foreign conference
(though this always entails frantic late nights of preparation as well). I'm also
responsible for organizing the group seminar program inviting speakers and making sure
someone gets the coffee and donuts there on time. You can't do science without a good
supply of coffee and donuts.
Why I'm still in the job
Often in the last few years I have thought seriously about giving up solar physics to
do a job which means I can move back to be near my family and friends in Scotland. Often
I think I would just like to do a nine-to-five job (if they exist these days!) I think
that most scientists will tell you that they often spend part of the evenings and
weekends at their desks or in their labs! But, despite the long hours and the fact that I
am so far from my home, I can't think of anything I would rather do. In this job, I have
the chance to learn or see something new every day and to add, albeit in a small way, to
our understanding of the Sun. I enjoy the process of doing science, especially in
collaboration with friends and colleagues here and around the world. I love the travel
and the chance to live and work in foreign countries. So you see, doing science didn't
mean that I had to give up learning languages after all!
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