How to Be a Scientist

Liz Cottrell, a curator and director of the global volcanism program at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, shares her lifelong passion for science, nurtured by childhood experiments with her father.

Cottrell highlights that while quantitative skills are helpful, strong communication, writing, presentation, and teamwork skills are equally crucial for success in scientific careers. She encourages pursuing interests passionately.

She describes becoming a scientist as an apprenticeship, emphasizing the importance of finding a mentor and learning from them. Her personal journey involved discovering a fascination with planetary science in college, fueled by her father's encouragement to discover new things.

Cottrell expresses her love for her job and the flexibility it offers as a great benefit for family life, despite the challenge of balancing total hours. She shares how she integrates science education into her two-year-old daughter's life by providing accurate explanations.

For Cottrell, it is crucial that the public understands science as a systematic process of testing ideas to find the truth, rather than just making guesses. She believes the Smithsonian is an ideal place to convey this understanding.