1. evolgen
  2. I've got Math and CS Envy

I've got Math and CS Envy

By evolgen on July 10, 2007.

Dave wants to know whether we biologists have physics envy, as the physicists often claim. I'm quite happy being a biologist and I wouldn't want to study physics, but there are certain skill sets I wish I had. My envy is not for the questions other fields address, but for the tools other people in my field have at their disposal.

Enough with the foreplay; here are my answers to Dave's three questions:

  1. What's your current scientific specialty?

    Evolutionary genetics, in general. Specifically, the molecular biology and evolutionary dynamics of genomes.

  2. Were you originally pursuing a different academic course? If so, what was it?

    Ever since I arrived at college, I have been a biologist. I've been dead set on evolutionary genetics since my second year of undergrad.

  3. Do you happen to wish you were involved in another scientific field? If so, what one?

    I'm peachy keen with the field I'm in, but I'm envious of all the kids who can write good code and solve partial differential equations.

Tags
Vanity
Categories
Physical Sciences

More like this

Do biologists have physics envy? (the science envy meme)
One of the first ever humour pieces that the Science Creative Quarterly published is resurfacing today, and it's also one of my favourite (if only because it contains the phrase, "accelerating two rats to relativistic velocity.") There is the common perceived consensus is that there is "physics…
What do you want to be when you grow up?
David Ng is asking if biologists have physics envy, which is both a common and a peculiar question (short answer: no, physicists should have biology envy). Then he follows up with a few brief questions to determine if scientists are actually pining away, wishing they'd gone into some different…
Funding Envy, Not Physics Envy
Dave over at The World's Fair is asking a few questions about interdisciplinary envy. Do biologists wish they were physicists? Or do physicists dream of biology? And what about archaeologists? 1. What's your current scientific specialty? I'm an archaeologist specialising in Scandinavian Prehistory…
Science Envy
I missed this by weeks, but Dave asked a set of questions that I was pondering on, but found no time and energy to answer until now. PZ, Janet, Martin, Chad and RPM responded (I am assuming some people outside SB did as well) and their responses (and their commenters') are very interesting. 1. What…

As a math/CS person, I find myself with the opposite problem. Often times I'll look at bio and bio-related course materials and be astounded at the amount of nomenclature it's students have to memorize. Such is a vastly underrated skill, IMO.

I hated that shit too, Tyler. That's why I don't do biochemistry or developmental biology.

I've got Math & CS envy too.

I hated all that memorization stuff.