Beyond the Lab Coat - Anzelms Zukuls (Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia)
Photos: Anzelms with his colleague performing lemon-battery experiment and Anzelms with kittens
Did you dream of becoming a scientist as a child?
Yes, I dreamed of being a scientist.
What inspired you to pursue science?
The inspiration that drove my curiosity was nanotechnology, with its complex
gear systems and innovative perspective.
What do you love most about being a scientist today?
Nowadays, scientists have access to a wide variety of interesting research
methods that make our work exciting and allow us to investigate many scientific
mysteries.
What’s one myth about scientists you’d love to bust?
Scientists do not work alone in laboratories. Today, scientific discoveries and
growth occur by combining knowledge from different research directions and
fields of science. Only a broad view of scientific problems promotes new
discoveries.
What’s the weirdest or most unexpected thing you’ve
learned in your field?
The strangest and most unexpected thing I've learned in my field is that the
same material can have many different uses in everyday situations.
What’s your favorite non-science hobby?
I like hiking and walking in different places, such as swamps, forests, walking
trails, and the seashore.
If science were a movie genre, what would it be?
Documentary - due to the number of studies that have to be conducted to find
something new and exciting.
What’s your favorite movie?
Interstellar
What’s your favorite book?
Blizard of Souls by Aleksandrs Grīns
What music or song always inspires you?
Trance
If you weren’t a scientist, what would you be doing
today?
Engineer in R&D department
If you could invite any scientist—past or present—to
dinner, who would it be?
Dr. Michio Kaku