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Asked by to Matthew, Mike on 21 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
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Matthew Malek answered on 21 Mar 2014:
Hi Holli,
That’s a really good question, and one that I get asked a lot. Broadly speaking, there are two types of research, called “basic” and “applied”. Applied research does what it says on the tin — it’s research focused on a specific goal, like curing cancer or building a better smartphone. Whereas the main goal of basic research is to increase our understanding of the universe.
I do basic research, trying to uncover more of the secrets of the universe. A lot of people don’t see the value in basic research and dismiss it if there is no immediate goal that impacts society. I think that’s a mistake, though, because the basic research of today lays the foundation for the applied research of tomorrow. Here’s an example:
When JJ Thompson discovered the electron in 1897, if somebody had asked him what it was good for, he wouldn’t have had an application to answer with. Ten years later, there still wouldn’t have been a good answer. It wasn’t until the 1950s, that our knowledge of electrons led to the invention of the transistor… but that development gave us the entire world of computers and electronics technology. Of course, that changed the whole world — without this basic discovery, you and I wouldn’t be able to have this chat right now!
That’s a long way of saying that my research doesn’t have a direct impact on society now, but it may in the future. I do have an indirect impact, though, through new technologies that we develop to build our experiments. We design better light sensors, for instance, that have application to private companies who use it to make things for the public. And, of course, I do a lot of public outreach, to bring the things that we learn to everyone! (Like doing I’m a Scientist! 🙂 )
I’ll end with one last example of how technology designed to help basic research has changed the world: At the biggest European particle physics lab (CERN, in Geneva, where the Large Hadron Collider is), they were trying to find ways to communicate better amongst scientists. So they invented this thing called the “world wide web”. Have you heard of it? 😉
Good chatting with you earlier, and thanks for asking!
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Mike Lee answered on 21 Mar 2014:
Hi,
Science tends to not make as much impact of society as arts. Things like films and music can change how people live their lives quite easily. Science has a more indirect influence, but it is very important.
My work concerns microscope, and using them to study fluids. These fluids could be biological, even dangerous bacteria. A better understanding of this will lead to medical treatment that will save people’s lives. But I stress that I don’t work too much with biology myself. I have friends and co workers who are experts there, and they work with the things I’ve made to do the important biology. Science is really a massive team effort.
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