Tarselli, Mike (2016) Tarselli Response to Science Mag InGenuity Survey, Nov 2016. Science, 354 (6315). pp. 964-966.

Abstract

Question: Does your research or science career keep you up late? If so, complete the following sentences with a short description of your work. Please avoid jargon to ensure that nonspecialists can understand your answer.

My response:

It is 2AM, and I am deep in discussions with colleagues in China and Europe about scientific software on Slack, Skype, and email. The laptop hums, router lights blink yellow and green in the darkness, and my family silently sleeps a few rooms away. Scientific business analysis involves collecting feedback, troubleshooting errors, and spinning up new programs to help chemists make molecules at sites across the globe. The wee hours of the morning are a great time to start these conversations, since my coworkers can begin on a problem and hand it off to me before they leave work. Everyone seems to get more done this way, despite the slight loss of sleep.

It's odd, sometimes, that I telecommute in my pajamas to conversations with developers and scientists having their first coffee, or perhaps just returning from lunch. The nature of 21st-century science means global teams continually 'pass the baton' to one another, keeping the data flowing and removing obstacles to allow scientists to do their best work; all day, every day.

Item Type:	Article
Date Deposited:	17 Dec 2016 00:45
Last Modified:	17 Dec 2016 00:45
URI:	https://oak.novartis.com/id/eprint/31452