Dear Physics World readers, I’m going to let you in on a secret. I get anxious every time I see the word “networking” on a meeting or conference agenda. I’m nervous whether anyone will talk to me and – if they do – what I’ll say in reply. Will I end up stuck in a corner fiddling on my phone to make it seem like I want to join in but have something more important to do?

If you feel this way – or even if you don’t – please read on because I have some something important to say for anyone who attends or organizes scientific events.

Now, we all know there are many benefits to networking. It’s a good way to meet like-minded people, tell others about what you’re doing, and build a foundation for collaboration. Networking can also boost your professional and personal development – for example, by identifying new perspectives and challenges, finding a mentor, connecting with other organizations, or developing a tailor-made support system.

However, doing this effectively and efficiently is not necessarily easy. Networking can also soak up valuable time. It can create connections that lead nowhere. It can even be a hugely exploitative and one-sided affair where you find yourself under pressure to share personal and/or professional information that you didn’t intend to.

Top tips

Like most things in life, what you get from networking depends on what you put in. To make the most of such events, try to think about how others are feeling in the same situation. Chances are that they will be a bit nervous and apprehensive about opening the conversation. So there’s no harm in you going first.

A good opening gambit is to briefly introduce yourself, say who you are, where you work and what you do, and seek similar information from the other person. Preparing a short “elevator pitch” about yourself makes it easier to start a conversation and reduces the need to think on the spot. (Fun fact: elevator pitch gets its name from US inventor Elisha Otis, who needed a concise way of explaining his device to catch a plummeting elevator.)

Make an effort to remember other people’s names. I am not brilliant at this and have found that double checking and using people’s names in conversation is a good way to commit them to memory. Some advance preparation also helps. If possible, study the attendee list, so you know who else might be there and where they’re from. Be yourself and try to be an active listener – listen to what others are saying and ask thoughtful questions.

Don’t feel the need to stick with one person or group of people for the whole the time. Five minutes or so is polite and then you can move on and mingle further. Obviously, if you are making a good connection then it’s worth spending a bit more time. But if you are genuinely engaged, making plans to follow up post event should be straightforward.

Decide the best way to share your contact details. It could be an iPhone air drop, taking a photo of someone’s name badge, sending an e-mail, or swapping business cards (seems a bit unecological these days). If there are people you want to meet, don’t be afraid to seek them out. It’s always a nice compliment to approach someone and say: “Ah, I was hoping to speak to you today; I’ve heard a lot about you.”

On the flip side, avoid hanging out with your cronies, by which I mean colleagues from the same company or organization or people you already know well. Set yourself a challenge to meet people you’ve never met before. Remember few of us like being left out so try to involve others in a conversation. That’s especially true if someone’s listening but not getting the chance to speak; think of a question to bring that person into the discussion.

Of course, if someone you meet doesn’t seem to be relevant to you, don’t be afraid to admit it. I’m sure they won’t be offended if you don’t follow up after the meeting. And to those who are already comfortable with networking, remember not to hog all the limelight and to encourage others to participate.

A message to organizers

Let me end with a message to organizers, which – I’ll be honest – is the main reason I’m writing this article. I have recently attended conferences and events where the music is so loud that people, myself included, have gone with the smokers to the perishing cold outside simply so we can hear each other speak. Am I getting old or is this defeating the object of networking? Please, no more loud music!

I also urge event organizers to have places where people can connect, including tables and seating areas where you can put your plates and drinks down. There’s nothing worse than trying to talk while juggling cutlery to avoid a quiche collapsing down the front of your shirt. Buffets are always better than formal sit-down dinners as it provides more opportunity for people to mix. But remember that long queues for food can arise.

So what has networking ever done for me? Over the years the benefits have changed, but most recently I have met some great peer mentors, people whom I can share cross-industry experience and best practice with. And, if I hadn’t been at a certain Institute of Physics networking event last year and met Matin Durrani, the editor of Physics World, then I wouldn’t be writing this article for you today.

I’ll let you, though, be the judge of whether that was a success. [Editor’s note: it certainly was…]

The post Honor Powrie: ‘So what has networking ever done for me?’ appeared first on Physics World.

I recently heard a physicist jocularly remind us that “All science is either physics or stamp collecting”. Widely attributed to the Nobel prize-winning nuclear physicist Ernest Rutherford, this quotation is often interpreted as the pre-eminence of physics over other scientific disciplines. While there is some doubt about whether Rutherford actually uttered that phrase, what’s interesting for me is not its origins but why the statement has – or ought to have – little place in today’s world.

In an era of rapid technological advancement and complex global challenges, it has never been more important for the scientific community to work together. From tackling climate change and dealing with the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence to exploring space and ensuring everyone has advanced and accessible healthcare, we need experts from different disciplines to work together. No single domain can comprehensively address such challenges.

That’s why all of us in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) need to work together collectively and with one voice. Fortunately, there are many examples of where this already occurs. Biomedical engineering, for example, has seen physicists, chemists, biologists, material scientists and medical experts develop many successful innovations, such as prosthetics, joint implants, artificial organs and advanced imaging technologies.

The development of machine learning algorithms for healthcare applications, meanwhile, requires computer scientists, statisticians and medical professionals. By embracing collaboration, the strengths of multiple disciplines can be exploited to drive innovation and create solutions that would be difficult – and sometimes even impossible – to achieve in isolation

Sharing knowledge

Without such collaboration, any solution would be incomplete and likely impractical. By working together, STEMM professionals are creating holistic solutions that address our technical, environmental and societal needs. However, it’s vital that we share knowledge and expertise so that STEMM professionals can learn from one another and build on existing work.

In today’s ever-changing world, staying informed about the latest developments is critical. Collaborative efforts ensure that knowledge is disseminated quickly and efficiently, thereby reducing duplication of effort and speeding up progress. It also fosters creativity by encouraging individuals to think beyond the boundaries of their own expertise. Innovation often occurs at the intersection of disciplines.

When people from different fields collaborate, they bring unique perspectives and methodologies that can lead to ground-breaking discoveries. Just look at the Human Genome Project (HGP), which involved teams of researchers working together to achieve a common goal. The HGP was a voyage of biological discovery led by an international group of researchers looking to comprehensively study all the DNA of a select set of organisms.

Launched in October 1990 and completed in April 2003, the HGP’s major accomplishment – generating the first sequence of the human genome – provided fundamental information about the human blueprint, which has since accelerated the study of human biology and improved the practice of medicine. What we need are more such projects where people work together towards a common goal.

Avoiding siloes

Competition and siloed thinking can, however, hinder progress. Individuals and companies may be reluctant to share knowledge or resources due to concerns about leaking intellectual property, not getting recognition or losing funding opportunities. But knowledge needs to be spread, not least because vesting know-how in a single individual is risky if that person leaves an organization. When you share knowledge, you never know what it can lead to.

Collaborative teams with people from different disciplines are better equipped to handle setbacks and challenges as, when faced with obstacles, team members can rely on each other for support and help seeking alternative solutions. Collective resilience is important in STEMM fields, where failure is often a stepping stone to success. Ultimately the progress and success of humanity depends on our ability to work together.

In practical terms, I am pleased to say that the Institute of Physics (IOP) Business Innovation Awards, which have been running for almost 15 years, embrace much of what I have been talking about. They recognize and celebrate small, medium and large companies that have excelled in innovation, delivering significant economic and/or societal impact through the application of physics.

Whilst the award-winning product innovations recognized by the IOP need to have some link to physics, they almost always involve some other fundamental science. What’s more, the innovations invariably need input from engineering design and manufacture, from software development, and from expertise in, say, medicine, aerospace, nuclear power or food science. Successful winners demonstrate strong multidisciplinary collaboration within their teams.

The bottom line is that’s vital for STEMM professionals to stick together and not try to trump each other with statements like Rutherford’s. For collaboration to work effectively, it requires mutual respect across all contributors. And by working well together, we will drive innovation, help solve complex problems, and shape a better future for the world. As a physicist by training, I naturally have a certain loyalty to the subject. But I’m hugely grateful for what I’ve learnt and achieved by working with people from other disciplines.

The post United we stand: why physicists must quit their siloes appeared first on Physics World.