Discovering Science Deeply as a Scientist

Maganda at siyentipikong araw o gabi sa lahat~ I realize I don’t have too many photos of me in the lab. I do have some excerpts of some writings that have been important in my life not merely as a scientist, but more importantly a scientist in service of the people.

Right before starting grad school, I wanted to better understand why I want to do what I do, with clear intention and motivation. I spent a few months with an inspiring organization called Advocates of Science and Technology for the People, or Agham (twitter.com/AghamNasyunal, @aghamyouthupd).

With Agham, I learned more about the conditions of the Philippines, from the labs at the University of the Philippines Diliman to Boracay when it was basically being gentrified for tourists. I also learned more deeply that science is political. Read more about my experience at bit.ly/fightbacksftp.

Science exists within the specific political and economic conditions of a given society, and it would be foolish to deny otherwise.

I ended up writing about my experience for my statement of purpose in applying to grad schools, in addition to the typical motivation or rationale of the research that I wanted to do at those institutions.

In retrospect, I thought writing about political and social was risky, but I needed to be honest and true to myself. I think writing about my science advocacy experience may have filtered some programs that wouldn’t be the right fit for me, that is, programs that not only train you in rigorous, hard science but also nurture trainees to pursue all the dimensions of science.

I think about this quote from the National Democratic Front of the Philippines’ (NDFP) Luis Jalandoni from 1998: “In any society, the scientists and technologists always have an important role to perform. But there will only be full meaning to the product of their scientific and intellectual endeavors when these enrich the lives of the broad masses of the people, not just the few who impose their rule on the rest. Knowing which side to work for is as important as knowing which science and technology to use in solving technical problems.