• Question: do u think that what you are doing is important to the human race or to living creatures?

    Asked by rinrin10 to Andrew, Janey P, Kinda, Ravi, SarahJane on 18 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Sarah-Jane Walsh

      Sarah-Jane Walsh answered on 18 Jun 2013:

      Currently i’m looking at how the environment can make coral reefs stronger against climate change. For example if a coral grows in a really calm environment it isn’t used to a lot of change, but if a coral lives in an environment where it has big changes such as, high and low tide and big changes in temperature will be more used to change.

      In the lab we grow our corals under high and low light, high and low temperature, and high and low waves to see how this affects the coral and if any of these make them stronger against climate change.

      Once we identify this we can go to coral reefs around the world and predict which are the stronger coral reefs and so the most likely to survive. we can then tell the conservationists to protect that reef more as it has a stronger chance of surviving and produces stronger corals!

      So my research will help food security for some of the poorest people in the world! Currently over half a billion people rely on coral reefs for food! that’s 7% of the worlds population and more that the whole of the UK

    • Photo: Andrew Manches

      Andrew Manches answered on 18 Jun 2013:

      Totally. Look at what new technologies are coming – robots with artificial intelligence, google glasses, technology in all objects. This will massively change how we think and learn. We need researchers to question if these changes are good, or how we can make sure they help us. We can’t just trust companies to make that decision. Having said that, I have a particular focus – new technology to help young children learn…

    • Photo: Jane Paget

      Jane Paget answered on 18 Jun 2013:

      You have to believe in what you’re doing because if you don’t no-one else will. If you are not excited by your research and know why you are doing it than it’s not for you. I think my research is a small part of a bigger picture. Together all the information out there, including the research I do (but not mine alone) will one day be useful either in medicine or biotechnology – no doubt

    • Photo: Ravi Kopparapu

      Ravi Kopparapu answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      A very excellent question.

      Imagine this: One day, in the very near future (within 10 years), Scientists announce that they found an Earth-size planet orbiting another star, that is in the habitable zone. They also found some signatures of oxygen, nitrogen and ozone (the type of gases we have on Earth). In fact, there may be some evidence that there are intelligent life forms on that planet….And that planet is nearby !

      Can you imagine the kind of impact it will have on our thinking, our beliefs ? Don’t you want to know how they look, are they different from us ? what kind of life is there ?? Are they more advanced than us or more primitive ?

      And this is why I think what I do is so important to human kind. It will answer one of the most important questions ever: Are we alone in the Universe ?

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