It’s not often that students get to meet and question somebody they read about in their text books. But about two dozen high school students today had the chance to question Nobel Prize winner Doctor James Watson who is best known for his discovery of the structure of DNA.
Doctor James Watson shared the honor with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins. Watson told the students that researchers today seem to be working harder and having less fun. Aftward, Watson said one of the challenges researchers face today is maintaining some form of idealism.
Watson is concerned about regulations and privacy issues dampening research advances. Watson admits he used to think that anybody who majored in psychology was a fool. But now, Watson’s current work focuses on the tie between genetics and mental illness.
Watson urged the students today to try and move to the fringes of knowledge. He described himself and his colleagues as cowboys in science.