I heard something said by a collaborator, Vidhi Mehta, which moved me.
"Will the next Nobel Prize be given to a citizen scientist?"
I sat back and I imagined. What if this week a phone call was made to a Biohacker that I know, instead of the usual academic Scientist? Wouldn't that be something?
Thinking about my life and my career, I see how important this is to society and I want to be a part of that. I want to make Science available to everyone so they can contribute to the benefits of society.
This could be you but it probably won't be easy. It will probably take hours and years of dedication and work and perseverance but I think there is a chance that in the next 10 to 20 years, you can pull it off.
I think education is key. I always try and impress on the Ph.D. Scientists that I know how much they need to teach and lead and show others how to do Science. How they can give knowledge to change the world they live in.
One thing I have found by working at NASA is how little work a single person is capable of on their own. This is also sad because Nobel prizes are given to the Principal Investigator who didn't do the experiment and who might not even have come up with the experimental procedure. I guess the prize needs to goto someone but it seems the whole, limiting it to individuals, in the majority of cases is wrong. I think this is important because many Biohackers still work on projects in isolation in the majority of cases.
Biohackers need to start coming together and combining their powers. Maybe then the Nobel Prize will be within reach.
