Transcript of my interview with a scientist On Friday, 28th of February 2014, I interviewed a Chemica !

n"ineer who was researchin" and was a #h$ student at %ydney &niversity' (er name was )eh*abin Tabassum and I, %hahriar Ifti, was very interested in what information, su""estion and research s+i s she had "iven me' (ere,s our conversation' )- )eh*abin I- Ifti I. /hat do you basica y try to achieve or do at your wor+0 /hat is it rea y about0 ). 1owadays I am wor+in" with a cata yst for dry reformin" of hydrocarbon' It,s about decreasin" carbon dio2ide from our environment and usin" carbon dio2ide on fue ' I. /hat are some of the scientific e3uipment and s+i s that you use at your wor+0 ). I use very comp icated thin"s these days' I main y use 4!5)%, 67$, T), %), 8!T etc' in my ab' I. 7ecent y are you researchin" anythin" interestin" or tryin" to do somethin" new0 /hat and why0 ). 9es, I am tryin" a new cata yst and new hydrocarbon' This new hydrocarbon wi use more carbon dio2ide and produce more (2' I. /hat do you thin+ you find the most interestin" thin" wor+in" as a scientist0 ). I thin+ the most interestin" thin" about wor+in" as a scientist is to produce a new hypothesis' I. :re there any "enera procedures you "o throu"h dai y0 ). 1ot rea y' 8ut a most every sin" e day I have to read heaps of scientific ;ourna s, read the news paper for anythin" new or interestin", read pub ished review papers on theories and e2periments, watch the news and stay a ert if anythin" new is "oin" on in the wor d because if somethin" new is discovered, I try it for myse f and then modify to ma+e it better and that,s how science wor+s' 9ou earn from somethin" and then try to ma+e it a bit better' I. %ince when did you have first thou"hts on becomin" a scientist0 /hy0 ). /hen I was in hi"h schoo I rea y didn,t thin+ science was very coo ' One day my science teacher saw that I was bored in the corner of the room so he came up to me and "ave me a boo+ about a the famous scientist, their wor+ and what they "ained from it' I can,t rea y remember the boo+,s name at this sta"e' It was a very bi" boo+ and it too+ me two wee+s to finish it< :fter readin" the boo+ I apo o"ised to my teacher and to d him, =%orry sir, I wi now do my best at science' One day I wi be an honourab e person,> and with that I started my ove wor+ with science' I. /hat do you thin+ is your main "oa that you tru y want to achieve0 ). :s I was sayin" I tru y want to ma+e my cata yst use and reduce carbon dio2ide from our environment since more and more trees are bein" cut down each day we are not "oin" to survive in about a mi ion years because the o2y"en eve wi be runnin" terrib y ow and carbon dio2ide eve very hi"h so we have to do somethin" about reducin" carbon dio2ide from our atmosphere and put it to "ood use I. /ho do you thin+ is your ro e mode in your ife0 /hy0 ). :ctua y I am not rea y tryin" fo ow on someone,s footsteps, I am ma+in" my own pathway throu"h the dar+ to a new eve ' I. In the (%C I am pretty sure u pic+ed sub;ects i+e physics, maths and chemistry or somethin" e se, did you find the e2am or the sub;ects that you chose easy or was it i+e you ;ust made it0 ). :ctua y you are spot on< I pic+ed maths, physics and chemistry as sub;ects for the (%C' I find it 3uite easy but it too+ me a on" time to master them and it fina y payed off' I. /here do you see yourse f in the ne2t decade or so0 /hat is your future career0 ). I rea y want to wor+ in a chemica en"ineerin" based industry and do a ot of research' I. :nythin" e se you wou d i+e to add0 ). )any peop e "o, =Oh< %cience is such a hard sub;ect and on y chosen smart ones can master it'> 8ut I disa"ree with that' I thin+ you need ove passion, patience and a ot of time to ma+e scientific research fruitfu '