Research scientists need many different skills and you might be surprised to learn that it takes more than just science classes and laboratory skills to be successful. We talked to scientists at Sanford Research to find out what classes helped prepare them to be successful. Start with these five classes!
1. Science Classes- It might seem obvious, but it is important to note that a well-rounded science education is important for a research scientist. Make sure you take biology, chemistry, and physics. Get involved in after school science clubs like HOSA.
“My chemistry major really helped me to develop a lot of the skills I still use in my research. As a geneticist, I need to be familiar with the biochemistry of the genes and proteins we study. I also use my basic chemistry skills nearly every day to calculate concentrations of solutions and dilutions.”
--Hannah Wollenzien-PhD candidate-Sanford Research
2. Math (especially statistics)- Being comfortable with math is a must for research scientists. It is not just about graphs and tables, researchers need to evaluate if the results of an experiment are statistically significant.
“Statistics is essential to research. You need statistical methods to show that relationships exists. It is important to understand the underlying constructs of those methods, which are based on mathematical concepts. Math courses also taught me how to be an effective and efficient problem solver, a skill that can be applied in almost all careers.”
--Valerie (Bares) Reed, PhD-Biostatistician and Supervisor -Sanford Research
3. English composition- The ability to write a well-formulated paper is an essential skill for all scientists and a composition class can help. Scientists need to be able to arrange ideas in a logical manner, explain and support their data, and defend against opposing ideas.
“Research data is disseminated through journal articles, posters and power point presentations. All require good writing skills to convey the information. On a daily basis, scientists rely on protocols that must be clear and concise to guide them in performing experiments. In addition, scientists must keep notebooks enumerating the steps that they took in every experiment that they perform along with the data collected and interpretations made."
--Tricia Larsen-Senior Research Specialist-Sanford Research
4. Speech- Scientists need to be effective at communication. They must give formal presentations, talks, and communicate with a variety of audiences. A speech class can help you to gain the confidence needed to communicate your research.
“The speech and theatre courses I took are what makes me stand out at work. Everyone here is a science wiz, but being comfortable talking in front of a group of people about science is something that comes up a lot and makes a lot of people uncomfortable.”
--Casey Mckenzie-Senior Research Specialist- Sanford Research
5. Graphic design- - Really?! Yes, really. Scientists are often discovering concepts that are brand new. If they cannot find a picture of what they are trying to describe, they need to be able to draw a picture or diagram to help illustrate a concept. A working knowledge of programs like Adobe Illustrator can help to create pictures that help in the communication of ideas and results.
“Sometimes an idea floats by and one needs to take a mental snap and draw it to capture it. I might initially do this on paper and eventually using Photoshop or Illustrator software. At the core of research is exploring the unknown, and so knowing what we know and what is unknown is the first step. Graphically drawing your hypothesis or working model helps to identify what you know and to abstractly outline what you don’t know, allowing you to fill in details of the unknown overtime.”
--Kamesh Surendran, PhD-Associate Scientist-Sanford Research