Soapbox Science 2020 Online

Soapbox: Did you choose a scientific career or did the scientific career choose you?

Tanima Bose: I choose a scientific career on my own. I don’t want to tell you some incredible stories relating to my past, like I have been fascinated by science since childhood. I wanted to become a dancer during my school days – what I always loved was to create something novel like new dancing steps, new choreographic movements. What I also loved is to read books, especially detective stories, autobiographies, and interviews from famous people. Something happened during my high school days, primarily led by a series of events with medical conditions for my family and myself. That somehow triggered and sparked my scientific interest, and I suppose my old habits of creativity, reading books, investigating a case through detective stories helped me a lot to shape my current interest.  

SB: What was the key moment that brought you to the place where you are today?

TB: To get support from my supervisors and family. Nobody in this world can survive without the right amount of support from their working and home colleagues. I would say that the key moments were when I had seen my job and family colleagues feel proud of me. That is the moment when I did think that I am invincible, and I can win the world, no matter what storm I am facing.

SB: What is your scientific superhero power? Or what superhero would you be?

TB: My scientific superhero power is my confidence gained by surrounding myself with positive people, inquisitive nature, ability to read and solve the problem. But one has to remember ‘Rome wasn’t build in a day.’ People do not acquire these qualities in a day or a year, and I am still in my learning phase. I yet don’t have these superhero abilities every day a week; nevertheless, it is the power of believing in myself that I can become a superhero one day with the scientific achievement that drives me every day.

SB: What is the most exciting aspect of your research?

TB: I would say the most exciting aspect is that I can delve into several fields, starting from biology, physics, chemistry to computational science. This interdisciplinary approach makes my research so fascinating. Another part I also liked is that ordinary people do not know much about this field, and there are still so many scientific gaps that one can follow. That gives me enough opportunity to explore and explain to the people why it is essential to jump into the field.

SB: If you were stranded on a desert island, what scientific equipment would you bring with you?

TB: I would instead bring a book – an inspiring and positive one like the autobiography of Steve Jobs- and a notebook and a pen to scratch my thoughts. I think that it is not possible to conduct an experiment, and I remember listening to the noble prize-winner Prof. Ada Yonath that she has tried to do some experiments at her home with no luck. Thus, I would instead bring something which inspires me and something where I can put all my thoughts together.

SB: What challenges do you encounter in science?

TB: The world is always not a bed of roses; there are thorns in roses as well. Some people are trying to reduce my enthusiasm and challenge my confidence levels. Getting over the intentions of those people and make myself surrounded by the positive people who believe in me is sometimes a struggle.

SB: What motivates you to give a talk in Soapbox Science?

TB: Making my scientific interest familiar to the public is one of the things that motivates me. Other than that, the format of the Soapbox science is compelling. I want to challenge myself to go through this kind of activity to get close to the audience. This training would be enlightening for my scientific career in the future. I must tell the profile of the previous Soapbox science speakers also inspired me a lot to become part of this activity.

SB: Do you have a few words to inspire other women or young scientists?

TB: Never stop believing in yourself and always listen to your heart and believe in your gut feelings. There are people around you who will try to modify your thoughts/ gut feelings for their benefit but always listen to your soul. You might make mistakes; still, you would learn by doing it. It is also a wrong idea that you have to shout at people to show that you are strong. It is not the case – you don’t have to prove someone if you are secure from inside. Just try to be yourself!

SB: In these quarantine days, what funny/interesting experiments, books, talks or podcast can you recommend to our audience?

TB: It depends on your interests. I am trying to improve my German language skills, scientific writing skill, and programming skills. For enhancing the scientific expertise, you can get access to online platforms like Coursera, Udacity, and many more (Google it!). One positive point of having this Corona crisis is that you can watch some of the operas online like this one. Also, there are some sites where you can visit the museums virtually.