It's been about a month since this blog was opened, and I began to track Gaspar Bakos' accomplishments and interactions with others across the internet. From this I have gained an understanding of the breadth of the interconnection involved in being a successful scientist.
Beyond what I discussed here, I also found transcripts of emails, and what may have been his profile on some photography sites. I would have included those, since I felt they were correct, but, it's never good to assume that anything is exactly what they seem on the internet. Since there wasn't enough information to prove that it was in fact the astronomer Gaspar Bakos, I decided to never formally discuss it.
But the main part of this exercise was to see how scientists work, in publishing their articles, in interacting with others online, in regards to any cross-fertilization between disciplines. So what works? What serves as a good example in behavior for any up and coming undergraduates in the sciences, despite their field?
The number one thing, I think, is to get connected, and stay connected. This applies not only in real life (science clubs and organizations on campus) but also online. Check out websites where scientists share some of their published research. Find serious forums related to science. Start a blog, get connected with other bloggers starting out in the field. Join email newsletters.
The second most important thing is to not be afraid to see what people outside your field are doing, and if you're interested in some of those areas, to check them out, get involved. Bakos is an astronomer, but also a programmer and photographer. Again, the same methods apply as before, and might even be easier online. When you can easily track dozens of blogs, it becomes simpler to find out things you never would have known about otherwise.
Often, new breakthroughs come by applying knowledge from one field to a separate one.
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