Optimism.
That’s one of my favourite words right there. Indeed, I can be frustratingly optimistic sometimes, perhaps in danger of people thinking I may not be grasping the full gravitas of a situation. I can assure you that this is never the case. I just try to find my way to the see the doughnut, and not the hole. That probably says a lot about me and my preference for all things baked…
Anyhow, last Saturday (8th February) I had a superb afternoon in the company of some seriously impressive people from the world of science research, thanks to Professor Kate Cooper of the New Optimists. The purpose of the event was to allow scientists from many different backgrounds to come together and discuss, well, anything…and see what themes, ideas and collaborations may emerge over time. Kate has written a wonderful blog about the event, and a similar one a few days before, here. From my part it was a great chance to engage with scientists from completely different backgrounds and disciplines, whilst constantly thinking about the potential ways our skill sets may be able to combine to tackle the same aim. It is rare to be at an event so “open” to thinking across boundaries, and it certainly helped me think about lots of my current research targets differently. I absolutely loved the free flowing nature of the discussions held, although it will take a memory better than mine to explain how we got from bats to avocados….
This may be one of those rare occasions where the brilliant conversation you often seem to have down the pub, or over coffee, or in the car on the way to work, could actually lead somewhere…!
Always the doughnut…!
exploringhandhygiene 