Serendipity and science...

As I get to know more folks who are well established in their research niches, I am struck by the trend that many of them recount influential serendipitous events in their academic/professional careers which guided them down a new path, perhaps to ultimately do lots of work in a field they never intended or imagined. Indeed this should not surprise me –– it seems commonplace that strong minds in sciences embrace interconnectedness and feedback between disciplines and tend to follow their interests such that they get their fingers into all kinds of stuff. And, I have no doubt that whatever drives such research diversification and/or the desire to descend new rabbit holes is different for everyone. However, I think that this trend likely reflects the heart of the scientific method. That is, science is an evolving dialogue that (ideally) does not have a specific trajectory and rewards scientists with adaptable attitudes.

"So WHAT?" you say... "You are rambling about the obvious."

Well, I'm fixated on this because I feel that many grad students –– myself included –– set out in their academic careers with their eye on some prize (everyone's proverbial carrot is a bit different)... and this may not be the most useful approach. That said, it may get you in and out of school faster and on to bigger and better things for yourself, and in that case it is wonderful for some folks. But for the scientists that inspire me, it is clear it has behooved them to be sensitive and malleable to the research climate and needs of the community. Mostly, such an attitude rewards them with more work and more resources (intellectual and financial). 

I arrived at Madison with a Masters from SJSU and no interest in EBSD, although I have kept a soft spot for microstructures and microspace for a quite while. I imagined a relatively straightforward path for myself, felt like I had a clear plan. I consider/ed myself primarily a field geologist... which may be just a cooler way of saying that I aspire to be a generalist, or maybe that I don't know enough to further specialize my skill set. 

I am a late-comer to geoscience (more about that another time), and I sometimes remark at the disconnect between my passion for geology and my overall lack of preparation for it. I often feel like I took a stab in the dark and struck gold. Yet, it is clear to me that among my fellow grad students (most of whom are rather brilliant at something or other), I am not even a strong "generalist" –– I have a lot to learn. 

And I am learning. I'm learning that I love EBSD –– that it augments my love for microstructure. And that may change. But it is exciting to be jazzed about something new –– it is suddenly all I want to do. That likely *will* change. But it is already opening my vision and opportunities, and I know that it is going to become a big part of what I do over the next few years.

Of course this is what school is for. And you probably find my blathering to be more predictable than remarkable. But now that I have written it down, I think what I am trying to say is that it it is powerful to remind ourselves that our roles in science are not predetermined. And that the community often benefits from the work of those who follow their intrigue and can flow.