# What is a scientist? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854 "2009-05-09T15:52:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/41 "2009-05-11T16:31:02Z")
What is not a scientist. What is a professional baseball player. He plays second base. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/42 "2009-05-11T17:04:31Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > There are a few minerals I can identify mainly by taste. I can only identify one rock by taste. ---
**Author:** ![Solfy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Solfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solfy)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/43 "2009-05-11T20:18:37Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > As an example a friend is currently doing a seasonal job in San Diego county surveying [California Gnatcatchers](http://audubon2.org/watchlist/viewSpecies.jsp?id=57). She isn’t a part of a study group - she’s a short-term GS-5( or 6, I forget ) employee doing survey work. She has no input on data analysis at all - she just generates some of the raw numbers for monitoring/modeling projects designed and run by others. As such she’s doing scientific work, without working as a scientist herself. I am an industrial chemist and consider myself a scientist. The top position on the career ladder I am following is “Scientist.” Such positions where a person is running an experiment but passing off the data for interpretation and analysis are considered technicians. Scientists are those persons who develop the procedures the technicians use by running experiments of their own and interpreting the data. The engineers I work with make no bones about the fact that they are not nor do they desire to be scientists. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/44 "2009-05-11T22:49:54Z")
Oh, man…an opportunity to post one of my [favorite cartoons](http://cowbird.110mb.com/46.html) where it’s actually relevant! ---
**Author:** ![Solfy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Solfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solfy)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/45 "2009-05-12T15:08:54Z")
I loved that cartoon so much I had to print it out and post it where both the scientists and the engineers can see it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/46 "2009-05-12T15:31:25Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I can only identify one rock by taste. Halite, right? I can also identify sylvite, dolomite/calcite, baryte, gypsum, borate, trona and azurite/malachite. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/47 "2009-05-12T15:43:36Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Halite, right? Yep. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/48 "2009-05-12T15:46:04Z")
Huh. I thought he meant crack. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/49 "2009-05-14T02:15:13Z")
That’s funny - I thought he meant crack too. 😉 Back to the OP, I’ve heard it suggested that there should be something called a _parascientist_, sort of like a paralegal, who help scientists and does some of the science-related work without being a full, practising scientist. Maybe that would more adequately cover the people who would be considered technicians as **Colibri** and others have mentioned. **Jamaika a jamaikaiaké** - I bow to your greater direct experience. It probably doesn’t help me that most of my experience with mathematicians is with biostatisticians, who are called upon to contribute to a number of problems with grueling real-world applications. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/50 "2009-05-14T02:17:06Z")
The biostatisticians you know probably don’t consider themselves mathematicians either. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/51 "2009-05-14T02:20:25Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Huh. I thought he meant crack. > [@wevets](#): > > That’s funny - I thought he meant crack too. Geez, you think I’m some kind of Doper? :eek: I’ve never even _seen_ crack (except on TV.) ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/52 "2009-05-14T02:26:54Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > Back to the OP, I’ve heard it suggested that there should be something called a _parascientist_, sort of like a paralegal, who help scientists and does some of the science-related work without being a full, practising scientist. Maybe that would more adequately cover the people who would be considered technicians as **Colibri** and others have mentioned. I have “research associates” in my lab (at a company, not in academia). At worst, I design the overarching experiment, and leave the details to them and they run experiments and get me the data. They can have smaller projects, within the larger project, if they can handle it. If they show initiative and want to design experiments and know what they’re doing, I would certainly allow some latitude. None have gotten their PhDs, so are not doing truly independent research. I think that sort of fits the bill, no? ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854/53 "2009-05-14T02:37:47Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > The biostatisticians you know probably don’t consider themselves mathematicians either. Could be - I must admit I’ve never asked! :o [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-scientist/495854.md?page=2)