• Question: Was science in the family tree?

    Asked by 838enqm47 to Dan, Jennifer, Luke, Martin, sakshisharda on 9 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Jennifer Paxton

      Jennifer Paxton answered on 9 Mar 2018:

      Not really, no. Most of my family were teachers (mum, grandparents) but my dad was an engineer and he really inspired me to investigate ‘how things work’. Apparently I used to take my toys to bits when I was younger just to see how they worked! I suppose that’s why I love anatomy because it’s finding out all about how the body works…all the different parts and how the work together to make us, US!

      I have two brothers; one is a musician living in New York and one is a journalist living in India so there wasn’t really a ‘science’ theme in my family at all – we all turned out very different! 🙂

    • Photo: Luke Williams

      Luke Williams answered on 11 Mar 2018:

      For me, yes and no really.

      I was the first in my family to get to university, and have a formal education. My grandfather and one of his brothers were both very curious and interested in science and engineering. However, they both ended up working in the coal mines from a very early age, that was the sort of job you had back then.

      Today, my grandfather is still one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. Though he left school at 14 or 15, without any qualifications that I can remember, he can pretty much make anything out of anything. He still spends time putting things together his workshop for fun.

      My great uncle is the person I am most often compared to. Always interested in science and space in particular, he read a great deal of science fiction as well. He was never given the opportunity to really explore science in the way that I am sure he could have done.

    • Photo: Sakshi Sharda

      Sakshi Sharda answered on 13 Mar 2018:

      No, I’m the first one in my family to take up science. Hopefully I can inspire more members of my extended family to be scientists!

    • Photo: Martin Lindley

      Martin Lindley answered on 14 Mar 2018:

      no not really

      My dad was a lawyer and my granddad was a lawyer too while my mum was a PE teacher …so not a lot of science there 🙂

    • Photo: Dan Gordon

      Dan Gordon answered on 14 Mar 2018:

      Not really. My brother is also a Dr (Ph.D.) but in mining engineering. Beyond that there is no evidence of scientists, we do have a history of engineers though.

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