SCIENCE: BEYOND THE LAB…INTO THE GHETTOS…
In the world today, problem solvers are bound to have many business opportunities at their disposal.
But rarely do scientists and engineers feature in this mix.
Many of them seem to be confined to a life of seeking after elusive employment with frustration waiting for them at the tail end of things.
But what if we thought of science differently?
PROBLEM SOLVING
Science is a problem solving tool.
When we get hold of it, we must choose to extend our tentacles into the world around us and seek after problems to solve.
Interestingly, the IT world has made major strides in this regard.
Stories of young nerds cracking the code and coming up with good online applications more often than not takes the market by storm as opposed to those who apply the discoveries they’ve made in a chemistry or physics lab.
For science to make sense and cents, it must be shoved out of it’s comfort zone…the laboratory.
But who is best positioned to do this other than the scientist himself.
OUT OF THE FRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE
Scientific discoveries aren’t actually discoveries but revelations.
We only unearth what has always existed all along.
But as we do the unearthing, we must ask ourselves some questions:
These (among others) are burning questions any scientist must ask themselves if they wish to make sense beyond the lab.
Infact some of these ‘discoveries’ might not necessarily be so novel.
They might just be a new way of doing things or a combination of already existing ways of doing things.
But the piece of work lies not in the lab work but in unearthing the need on the streets.
WATER
Picture a young material chemist or water engineer desiring to design a household waterfilter…
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Where must he begin?
If he desires to succeed, he’ll allow the needs around him to inform what he must research on.
Infact his starting point won’t be in the lab but on the streets:
He must listen and learn;
He must question and probe;
He must observe and analyse…
This is where he’ll spend most of his time before retreating back to his lab.
Only when he discovers what the community needs will he be in a position seek after a solution…
STARTING AND FINISHING OUT OF THE LAB
So after formulating his solution, the scientist will test it further…not in the lab but on the streets.
He’ll supply prototypes of his water filter to those willing to use it not because he’s in need of money but because he desires to hear their story and their concerns…
As he listens to them, as he observes them use the filter, he notes down areas of improvement.
He realizes that at the end of the day, his formal education is just a stepping stone for further education by the society around him…
So as he listens, he notes, goes back to the lab and adjusts until the product fits the purpose it was created for.
THE REAL LAB IS IN THE STREETS
It took me long to realize this.
Science is not created for the labs but for the streets…for the ghettos and the alleys.
Science is a tool we use to better the lives of others.
But the quest to solve problems doesn’t start in the lab…
It starts and ends on the streets.
The lab is only a testing zone.