The academic world is full of knowledge and the pursuit of wisdom. We are the people who have chosen to dedicate our careers, and lives really, to understanding and explaining how and why everything is the way it is. However, to be a full time researcher for any of the hard sciences can be a gruelling and unforgiving profession, with the daunting law of publish or perish always looming in the background. In addition, at most universities, there are the responsibilities of teaching and the public opinion that we, as scientists, owe everyone an explanation of our work because we are largely funded by the government. So why, on top of all of the other stresses and pressures of a career in science, would a person want to dedicate their precious free time to educating the public? For me the answer is simple, you get what you give and the more people we can reach out to and inspire, the better it will be for the future of science.
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