Research Hats: Musings on the roles we play in science and society

Writing by Michelle Ng from the Marra Lab, Michael Smith Laboratories

 

There is an illustration by Dr. Matt Might that I saw at the start of graduate school, which has stuck with me since. You may know it – it depicts the entirety of human knowledge as a circle and the microscopic dent in the boundary that is a PhD. At the time, it was a humbling check to my young and somewhat inflated scientific ego, but I also found it comforting to imagine all of us pushing at the boundaries of our respective fields and, together, expanding the circle of human knowledge. Nowadays, having been humbled by far more over the course of a PhD and postdoctoral fellowship, I find myself reflecting on the role of my work, both in science and in the wider world.

As scientists, we are often called to fulfill a range of roles in our day-to-day work – pipette operator, programmer, mentor, administrator, communicator, team player, project leader, and lifelong learner, to name a few. I have heard this referred to as “wearing many hats”. While I certainly did not anticipate that I would wear this many hats when I set out on a PhD, I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to engage with a diverse range of skills and tasks. Mostly. All roles are important for keeping the science going, but like hats, I suppose we each have our favourite ones. It was through some of my research roles that I came upon unexpected passions such as teaching and writing that have carried over into my activities outside of academia. Perhaps also as a product of my research training, I now constantly find myself wondering “how does this fit into the bigger picture?”

It can be frighteningly easy to become tunnel-visioned in research. This is likely because cultivating a deep understanding of an increasingly specialized area is a necessary part of the process. As any academic advisor will tell you, however, one must also keep in mind how your research is positioned within the field, so that you do not lose sight of either the context in which your work exists or the direction in which you are striving. Further, beyond the research itself, there is the important work of disseminating discoveries to the scientific community and public, directing organizations and government, inspiring the next generation through outreach and education, and continuously carving out a place for our science in society.

I sometimes struggle to reconcile my contributions to science with my place in society. The world has many pressing problems, from which my research is far removed. This past year, with Jasper in flames, the southeastern US underwater, and ever-rising costs of living in Vancouver, the global climate and socioeconomic crises feel closer to home. What can any one individual do? How do we make our voices and choices matter? In answer to such questions, I return to the wisdom of Dr. Matt Might and imagine all of us pushing at our respective pieces of the boundary, not only to expand the circle of human knowledge, but also to advocate for a world that is sustainable and just. If we are each empowered to do a part, perhaps collectively we can make a difference.

It is with these thoughts that I invite us to reflect on our roles in science and in society at large. This winter, I will be reaching out to faculty and students in the department at different career stages to get their perspectives on the matter, and compiling their responses into a series of articles. Here at the Michael Smith Laboratories, much of our research runs adjacent to emerging and contentious topics, including, but not limited to, artificial intelligence, climate, conservation, and human health. As scientists, I hope we can nurture interconnectedness and find interdisciplinary solutions to our collective problems. And, as individuals trained to be versatile and competent in a variety of roles, I hope we can find innovative ways to put our abilities and values into practice, both within and outside of science.

Keep pushing.