Yesterday, science writer Bethany Brookshire (aka @scicurious) asked the people of Twitter what would be on their science bucket list, and a hashtag was born.
Ok, science friends. Here is a hashtag #scibucketlist What's on yours? I want to dissect a whale.
I want a species with my name. I'll take a bacterium! Not picky. #scibucketlist
Some bucket list items were pretty achievable.
Scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef #scibucketlist
I want to see the Galapagos islands. #scibucketlist
@scicurious I want to learn how to use a telescope properly! #scibucketlist
A more achievable part of my #scibucketlist: go digging for megalodon teeth.
Visit Svalbard global seed vault, eat freshly picked mangosteen, taste test new fruit variety for a plant breeder #scibucketlist #plantdork
#scibucketlist See and smell a Rafflesia arnoldii, "corpse flower". The largest individual flower on earth!
Others had some more lofty goals.
Go to Antarctica. See aurora borealis. Have a star named after me. #scibucketlist
If i were to go back into a lab, curing Parkinson's would be on my #scibucketlist
#scibucketlist See what's swimming in the oceans on Europa & Enceladus. Sail a boat on the methane seas of Titan. Make a more realistic list
There was a bit of #realtalk about diversity in science.
Gender parity and diversity in all sciences. #scibucketlist
#scibucketlist Inspire diverse young women to pursue science, and then for them to discover a fulfilling career
Lots of things on my #scibucketlist, but teaching in a department comprised of a diverse faculty is definitely towards the top.
At one point it descended firmly into science fiction.
#scibucketlist Build a #Tardis
#scibucketlist Invent time travel, go see collision of Andromeda & Milky Way galaxies. Art:NASA/ESA
But in the end some people just want to get on with their job and make a difference in the world.
Keep breathing. Keep publishing. Stay funded. Make a difference. Leave world better than when I arrived. #scibucketlist
But realistically, I'll take a fulfilling, productive scientific career driven by incessant curiosity and means to pursue it #scibucketlist
#scibucketlist I would like to inspire people to wonder.