Why am I
always running on four hours of sleep? How are we supposed to get back to camp
when the engine just blew up? What are we supposed to do when the camp washes
away in a flood?
OR
Why am I
writing this grant that I know is going to get rejected? How am I supposed to
analyze this complex data? What am I going to do with all these genetic samples
when all of my wet-lab courses have been theoretical?
This brings
us back to why. Why are we even doing this!?!?!?....... Well, it’s because of
the “why”.
You see,
each and every one of us grew up asking why. I’m not talking about just
scientists, I mean everyone. Granted this drove our parents insane with our incessant
“why, why, why”!! Eventually, many stopped asking why, or kept our questions to
ourselves. “Why” is not always acceptable when working for large corporations
or the government, at least not incessantly. Stopping to ask “why” when you
have to run into a burning building to save someone could even cost people
their lives. However, some of us can’t help it, we just can’t stop. What is
worse is that it is strongly addictive. You see the moment the first “why” is
answered, it opens up more “why”, “how”, “what” and “when” questions, and each
time one of those questions gets an answer, they multiply exponentially. And
ohhh, the thrill off chasing the answer, the high of opening new questions,
nothing can compare. When you are on the verge of a new discovery that may
change how we see the world, it’s like watching the fuse burn down right before
the fireworks go off.
Fortunately,
there is a place in the world for “why” addicts like ourselves in the sciences.
Here we are encouraged to explore the freedom of asking “why”. What is more,
there are guides on how to do it so that we can find answers and new questions
more efficiently, and of higher quality. While the scientific method is almost
formulaic in its function, it is the “why” that sparks it into motion. For
those that are willing, there are even entire institutions dedicated to
fulfilling the addiction of asking “why”, and mentors that are all too happy to
get you into the habit and see the same hunger in young eyes that they have
felt all their lives.
This
addiction is what led my colleagues and myself to the Mara Hyena Project. Dr.
Kay Holekamp came out to the Mara and the hyenas not long after finishing her
PhD, looking to feed her own "why" addiction. Even she was surprised
by the amount of questions she could ask, and with every paper, she found more
and more. Now with nearly 28 years of study, the spotted hyenas of the Masai
Mara have fed the addiction of "why" for dozens of graduate students,
many post-doctoral students, and droves of up and coming undergraduate research
assistants, not only in the field, but back in the labs at MSU. What is more,
with improving techniques and technology, we have increased the number of
questions that may be approached to unimaginable heights. Everyday when we drive
out of camp, or walk into the lab, we can feel the rush of being able to ask
"why" with the anticipation that we will be a part of the answer.
Therefore, the answer to why we put up with the pain, stress and hardships required to keep this project running, the answer is....... Why should we conform to what is expected? Why would we restrict our freedom to explore? Why would we do anything else? Why would we ever want to stop asking why!?!
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