The Scientific Approach

A Layperson's Guide

Conclusions

Reflecting on my summer at the lab, I am grateful to Gill and Surya, and to their supervisors Marcy McDonald and James Gusella, for the rewarding experience I had at MGH. Not only was I able to learn about the process of scientific discovery firsthand, but I was also able to become a better science writer by enhancing my knowledge of scientific materials, methods, and terminology. By conducting my own experiments, I began to think like a researcher and to understand the scientific method from the point of view of one who puts it into practice on a daily basis.

I saw a side of science that the public rarely, if ever, sees. The actual process of scientific discovery is much lengthier, more complex, and more nuanced than the media’s portrayal of it. Science is about careful observation and planning, good record keeping, and building a strong foundation for future experiments by continually attempting to disprove previous hypotheses.

Above all, science requires great patience and perseverance. Scientists do not leap from their lab benches crying, “Eureka!” every day, nor do they produce a continual stream of results. Moreover, results do not come cheaply. To my surprise, I learned that it cost about $5,000 for the supplies and small equipment, and about $400,000 for the confocal microscope, to perform one of my “simple” immunostaining experiments (not to mention the still-higher cost of paying everyone’s salaries and keeping the lab running on a daily basis).

Although my future plans don’t include working as a researcher, science will always be a part of my life, whether I choose to become a science journalist or simply a science enthusiast. I now have a much greater understanding and appreciation of the arduous work that scientists do, which gives me hope that someday they will solve the mystery of HD and other neurodegenerative disorders.

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Taylor Altman
Summer 2006

For Further Reading:

• “Construction of a Fractal Snowflake.” MSN Encarta. 28 Aug. 2006
  <http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/aencmed/targets/illus/ilt/T046583A.gif>.
  
  
• Jones, Allan, Rob Reed, and Jonathan Weyers. “How scientific investigations proceed.”
  Practical Skills in Biology. Essex: Addison Wesley Longman Limited, 1994. 49.
  
  
• “Schematic of antibody binding to antigen.” Wikipedia. 21 Aug. 2006
  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibody>.
  
  
• Ubelacker, Sheryl. “Canadians cure Huntington’s disease modified mice.” The Globe and Mail. 16 June 2006. 15 Aug. 2006
  <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060616.whuntingtonS016/BNStory/Science/home>.
  
  

Last Modified: 08/05/2008

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