Scientists

A scientist is someone who is an expert in an area of science or uses scientific methods to carry out research.

Scientists are motivated to do this type of work for many different reasons but only very small number would say they do it to amass a personal fortune! They are likely to be motivated by a desire to contribute to human understanding of the world, the human body, the plants or the ecosystem to name a few. They equally may be motivated by the academic glory that being a good scientist may give them and the accolade of respect among their peers.

Science is widely recognised as a profession and the impact of scientific discovery is huge on every day life yet we understand very little about the day to day role of the scientist and how they go about doing their work.

The Nobel Prize is something that came about in the will of Alfred Noble in 1895 and is awarded for the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, Physiology or Medicine. It is thought of as the most prestigious prize you can win for these fields and is something that many scientists dream of winning, yet only very few ever do. The first prizes were awarded in 1901.

The process of selecting a noble prize winner is understandably slow. Noble Laureates are selected from each professional field to sit on the judging panel. Thousands of professionals are asked to nominate people within their field for the prize. The names put forward are discussed and examined extensively until only the winners remain. It was Alfred Noble who insisted on this method of judging and it has been said that this is what has partly contributed to the prestige of the prizes. Naturally however, there have been prizes given over the years that have been questioned by other academics and likewise there are those who have missed out on a prize to the surprise of their respected fields.

Among some of the people who have missed out on a noble prize to the surprise of others include Mahatma Ghandi who was nominated five times but never won a prize.