Trio President Highlights Importance of Scientific Research: Offers inspiration of scientific research

“No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong.” (Einstein)

Dr. Berke’s take: “The scientific method was a procedure developed in the 17th century… which involves careful observation, the development of hypotheses and then the testing of those hypotheses by experimentation. Certainly the scientific method reigns supreme among researchers.”

On Imagination, Intuition and Luck

His favorite quotes: “Hope lies in dreams, in imagination and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.” (Jonas Salk)

“Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination.” (John Dewey)

“Reason alone will not serve. Intuition alone can be improved by reason, but reason alone without intuition can easily lead the wrong way. They both are necessary.” (Jonas Salk)

“Chance favors the prepared mind.” (Pasteur)

Dr. Berke’s take: “It’s surprising to me how these humanistic, artistic, creative traits play such an important role in famous researchers and scientists.”

On Questioning in Science

His favorite quotes: “It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it.” (Jacob Bronowski)

“Everything is theoretically impossible until it is done. One could write a history of science in reverse by assembling the solemn pronouncements of highest authority about what could not be done and could never happen.” (Robert Heinlein)

Dr. Berke’s take: “Questioning seems to be the foundation upon which progress seems to occur in science.”

On Tenacity

“An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.” (Neils Bohr)

“Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” (Thomas Edison)

Dr. Berke’s take: “Most of the famous researchers and scientists that I came across, once they set their mind on a goal, they could not be dissuaded. They just carried through until the end, no matter what they had to do.”

On Ideas

His favorite quotes: “Keep on the lookout for novel ideas that others have used successfully. Your idea has to be original only in its adaptation to the problem you’re working on.” (Thomas Edison)

“In science the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not to the man to whom the idea first occurred.” (Sir William Osler)