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I'm so glad. Be sure to let us know what you think of the books you read.

I'm Tricia, science, in general, is a great interest of mine. My absolute dream job would be as a health, or science/technology journalist, not likely to happen I know. I joined the group because I only really have one friend who I can talk to about what's going on in the science community mainly because he's the only one who keeps up with it.

Welcome, Tricia. I suspect many of us have found ourselves in your situation, which is why we're here. Hope we'll be able to meet your need.

Hello, I have just stumbled across this group and would like to join you. A long time ago I studied pure sciences a levels and also in teacher training college. Didn't teach it for long though. Now I specialise is Autism and have to do a lot of analysing what's going on to advise those working with young people on the spectrum and keep up to date with research, Always have kept a weather eye of the science news often through reading new scientist but like others don't have many people I can talk about it with. I noticed a book I bought for Christmas is on the march reading list so thought I would vote for it! That might encourage me to get on with it!

Welcome Tweedledum. You're right, it's hard to keep up with all the things you'd like to read when you have a demanding profession. I'm retired and I have trouble. I don't know how those of you still working do it.

Yo. 34 year old ESL teacher in Japan who got back into reading last summer. I was initially primarily interested only in philosophy and psychology, but slowly realized that in our day and age knowledge of mathematics was vital for logic, and knowledge of the physical world (mainly physics, but biology as well) was vital for strengthening one's philosophical position and started to become more interested in science as well, particularly biology, and both classic and modern physics.

Welcome to our group, Brian! You will find lots of interest here, in biology and physics (and philosophy and psychology).

Hello All!

I am a double major in Microbiology and Biochemistry working on my bachelor's for both!I am currently a lab instructor at my institution and I am teaching freshman basic human biology. I joined this group because I enjoy light reading throughout the school year (that does not intrude into my study time) that will enhance my knowledge of my fields farther than my courses. Would love to hear if any of you guys know some great books for microbiology, immunology or virology for me to look into!

Wow. This looks like a fascinating group- full of interesting stories from people with all sorts of backgrounds. I guess I'll introduce myself:

My name is Aaron. I graduated Sjsu with a BA in communication studies / environmental sciences. Which basically means nothing. I really feel like I wasted my money, and more importantly time pursuing an education equivalent to, as Will Hunting would have called, "the same as a dollar fifty in late charges from the public library." Anyway, I'm really just kind of lost now, not knowing what to pursue. I'm a retard when it comes to anything science related. Nevertheless, I still love it all.

Ive taken many classes and have written many research papers pertaining to: astronomy, lost civilizations, archeoastronomy, archeological excavation methods, biological anthropology, communication and cultures, sustainability, geothermal energy, climate change, etc. Having done all that I guess I'm still left scratching my head going, "well, cool I know some things, but I'm not really an expert on any one thing." And that's what's always been a struggle for me since graduating college in 2012.

I interned with Earthship Biotecture building sustainable houses (aka "earthships") in Tres Piedras, NM. That was really fun, but it was cold as hell. I'm just kind of fumbling through this life, meandering from interest to interest. But I've come to the realization that, school is stupidly expensive but guess it serves a purpose, or so I've been led to believe. I've only recently gotten into taking education and learning (and learning how to learn) by reading things that I enjoy and pursuing khan academy- I have this deep desire to understand mathematics and computer programming, I know I'm stupid but I enjoy it nonetheless. I joined this group to connect with people who's interest are like my own and to learn some things.

Aaron wrote: "Wow. This looks like a fascinating group- full of interesting stories from people with all sorts of backgrounds. I guess I'll introduce myself:

My name is Aaron. I graduated Sjsu with a BA in comm..."

Hi, Aaron. I'm also new here but welcome :)
I agree with you about your thoughts and I can understand that.

I was living in another country before I move to Buenos Aires and I was "trying" to study software engineering at there and it was only taught in private universities. They were charging almost $5-10k for a term and we were trying to write an old academic programming language with 1mbps internet... This is and some other reasons are what I tried to run away and I flied thousands of miles away to have a better education.

On the other hand, I grew up in arts, I danced ballet for years and played instruments. But I was also badly in to exploring science. I was archiving all the documents released about CERN experiments and at the same time, I was dancing in front of a huge crowd. My grades on physics, maths, chemistry biology were the best and I had a problem at that point. When you don't have only one focus and interested and able to explore so many different topics it's so hard to decide. I wanted to be a interdisciplinary scientist by pursuing natural sciences, really, but I also wanted to learn programming and at the same time I needed at least some arts in my life. I think this is a common mistake of the system behind public educations almost everywhere.

Now, I'm here in Buenos Aires. I have to start over here and they want me to pass 12 "high school" exams such as history and geography of argentina, before entering the university... But I know html, css, javascript, java, php, c#, c++ and some more languages already which they never even teach you at the university.

As long as they try to educate people in this way, this won't change. But I completely believe that education should be arranged personally because some people don't try to finish the university for just a diploma or a paper.

I guess I kept it too long, sorry about that. You should consider Coursera and especially edX.org.
I believe these websites can teach you programming from the basics to the most advanced materials.
Wish you all the best.

Welcome, Haley. Two books that might qualify as "light" reading for you, that I recommend, are: The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World and A Planet of Viruses. You may already know a lot of what they present, but they are both good reads with much interesting information.

Also, take some time to peruse the group bookshelves. The categorization may not always be exactly right, but there are a lot of interesting books there.

Welcome Aaron. I can identify with you. I started out in college -- many years ago -- as a math major but I got scared in advanced calculus. So I changed my major to French just so I could finish and do well. I ended up going into programming after college and then several other fields. But I always retained a fascination with math and many different science topics. Now that I'm retired, I feel free to spend my time and effort exploring whatever sounds interesting, without feeling the need to excel. I can't always keep up with the reading in the group, but I really enjoy what I am able to absorb. One of the things I really like about this group is that it welcomes a wide variety of people and backgrounds.

Welcome, Ekin. I agree with you about the educational system. In the U.S. it's similar. University education is designed for people who have a fairly narrow focus. That's fine for some people, but others don't want to limit themselves that way.

One of my ideas is that education should be a lifelong pursuit. We should be able to go back to school for more education again and again. I might not object to limiting my studies to one discipline if I knew in a few years I could go back to school and study something else as my interests and priorities changed. I think too many young people are forced to make a choice about the direction of their lives which is very difficult to change later.

Ekin wrote: Hi, Aaron. I'm also new here but welcome :)
I agree with you about your thoughts and I can understand that.

I was living in another country before I move to Buenos Aires and I was "trying" to study software engineering..."

Hi Ekin, wow that's incredible. To take 12 "high-school" exams almost seems redundant, no? So there's no way you can get out of taking them?.. It sucks that you have to go through remedial tests, but I'm sure you will pass regardless.

You were definitely NOT too long, and everything you said was really fascinating. I guess I'm a tad curious. WHEN and HOW did you learn programming languages like "html, css, javascript, java, php, c#, c++"?

And, are you now in Buenos Aries to achieve a degree? And why of all places on Earth did you decide to move to Argentina to pursue a computer programming degree? And you're a ballet dancer! Sounds like you are on a amazing journey, I'd love to hear more.

Thanks for the welcome

Betsy wrote: "Welcome Aaron. I can identify with you. I started out in college -- many years ago -- as a math major but I got scared in advanced calculus. So I changed my major to French just so I could finis..."

hi Betsy, thank you for the welcome. I guess I'm also curious as to how you got into programming? And what kind of programming do you do? Moreover, were able to make a "good" living doing it? And also what led you to pursue the career paths that you ultimately ended up choosing?

I'd be so grateful to hear your story. Thanks again for the reply!

Aaron, you asked for it, but I'll be brief.

I graduated from college in 1965, when computers were room sized and IBM was the only game in town. Input of data and programs was still done by punched cards. I was looking for work and knew I was interested in those newfangled things called computers, so I went to IBM out of the blue. ;) They gave me an aptitude test and when I passed they put me in touch with one of their clients that was hiring and I got the job. I obviously had no experience or computer training (nobody did in those days), but my employer trained me. I loved programming, but after five years they were pushing me to go into management which I knew I didn't want, so I decided to move on. I went to visit a college friend in a different city and became involved with a teen counseling project for three years. Then a friend and I decided to move on and try a different city. I found a job as a legal secretary in a mid-sized law firm. But I couldn't keep away from programming. Early on I developed automated systems for producing legal documents and correspondence. Office technology was rapidly evolving, from typewriters, to memorywriters, to word processing machines, to desktop computers. I learned to utilize and maximize all of them. Along the way, I became a paralegal, then after we installed our first computer network, I moved into systems support and training. I also continued developing document systems, mostly using Visual Basic and VB Script. At that firm I also became involved in web site development and learned a little HTML and CSS.

Yes, fortunately, I've always made a pretty decent living, although each time I started over, I took something of a financial hit. Also, because of the round about path I took, I wasn't always up to date on the latest techniques or programming languages.

Now that I'm retired, I'm really out of date, although I still serve as webmaster for one of the web sites I worked on. And I'm still fascinated by technology and some science.

Hello all! I am a 3rd year medical student who should probably be studying currently, but am interested in outside reading as well. I thought this group would be helpful in keeping up amidst other responsibilities! Looking forward to learning, as always.....for those who work long hours or feel pressed for time: how have your reading habits changed or improved? any advice?

Hello everyone! I've just come across this group and thought I'd join! I'm currently a student and in September I will go on to study Physical Geography (and climate change) at university! I also have an interest in planetary science and astronomy as a hobby. I enjoy reading both non-fiction and fiction, and really I look forward to having interesting discussions here in the future!

Welcome Lisbeth and Emilia.

I am Eileen. I am a physician. I work in urgent care. I live in Texas.

I enjoy science reads, especially medical but really all fields. I have liked science since I was a child. My two most memorable Christmas gifts were a set of science books when I was 7, and a microscope set when I was 9.

Welcome, Lisbeth, Emilia and Eileen. Please feel free to join our discussions!

Eileen wrote: "I am Eileen. I am a physician. I work in urgent care. I live in Texas. ..."

Eileen, it's interesting that perhaps your microscope gift helped push you towards your career. For me, it was a telescope.

Hello my name is Rick. I'm a biology student and interested reading some good science books for fun. Lately I've just been reading from my textbook and I feel it has slowing been robbing me of the passion and spark I found in science.

Welcome Rick. I hope our group can help to reanimate your spark.

Welcome Kevin.

Hello everyone! I'm a researcher working on projects that include nano-materials and microelectronics. I've always been fascinated with the history of science: not just what we know, but how we know what we know and the developments and personalities that led up to the modern world.

Welcome, Al.

Welcome Al. Please feel free to read books along with us, and to contribute to lots of discussions!

Welcome Rose. Good Luck with your studies. CS is a good field/place to be...

I am a husband, a father of three and a baldie who also happens to be (I hope) a pretty good University Professor and Researcher.

I am very excited about my first book, entitled "The First Brain: The Neuroscience of Planarians", which will be published by Oxford University Press. This is a popular science book; you do not need any advanced science training to enjoy it.

Do you think Planarians are conscious?

Interesting looking book. I see you have a chapter called "Plant Neurobiology" -- I'm involved in a discussion elsewhere (another forum) on that topic.

Thanks for your kind words Kenny! I do not know how to answer the questions about planarian consciousness. My best guess is that they may have an inkling of it, but I simply do not know...

Hellow, my name is Mel, I am 31, live in Chicago and enjoy MTG and RPGs :D I work as a nanny. My top science interest, of course, is What Happens At The Subatomic Level Anyway, AND Why The Hell Wouldn't It, Since Reality Itself Is Out The Window By Then.......but the interests definitely don't end there. The rest is up to you :)

Welcome, Mel.

David wrote: "Welcome, Mel."

tankiez!

Hi,I'm Nancy. New to Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and this group. I am particularly fond of reading books about science. Had I read "The Ancestor's Tale" by Richard Dawkins when I was younger, I believe I would have become a scientist instead of a trainer and exercise rider of racehorses. (Anyone interested in evolution MUST read it!) My everyday life is very physical and grubby so books are my escape. I'm excited to be part of a group of people who can actually read, and have just ordered "The Demon-Haunted World."

Welcome, Nancy.

Welcome Nancy. Demon Haunted World is one of my favorites! And since you mentioned it my most favorite science essays book is "The Immense Journey" by Loren Eiseley -- he is a true poet of words. The topics in some cases are slightly out of date as it was written in the mid century 50's 60's but it is wonderful.

Thank you Betsy and Kenny! I will look for "The Immense Journey." Just placed an order on half.com! What a great place to buy books.

Hello, fellow science enthusiasts! I'm relatively new to this group, am a 3rd year medical student at Cairo University. So, not surprisingly I am a medicine aficionado. Would gladly read any book related to medicine, be it genetics (for example,The Epigenetics Revolution by Nessa Carey is currently on my to-read list), neuroscience, psychology or books about viruses and bacteria. Simply put, pretty much anything. And maybe a bit of physics and astrophysics, provided that the books aren't packed with a lot of technical jargons (unless those are meticulously defined and explained by the author). It'd be nice to get to know some, if not all of you.

Welcome, Megat. As you may have noticed, the group just read The Epigenetics Revolution. Here is the discussion thread:

/topic/show/...

Thank you,Betsy! Will have a look at that thread.

Hi, everyone, I am Oni. I am glad I can find this group so I have friends to discuss science topic. Mostly I am into history of science, but I read others to.

Welcome, Oni.

I am retired and I am here to see what others are reading in the area of science. More specific: physics, mathematics and technology.

I tend to read: Science Fiction for entertainment, gardening and cookbooks for health, math and scientific fields that apply mathematics to help keep the mind active. Well... to help stave off dementia in my old age :)

Welcome Mickey. Sounds like a good reading plan to me. :)

Welcome Mickey!

Hi Mickey! Me too ... mathmatical exercises, or even just trying to grasp some of the concepts, seem like a good way to flex the mental muscle.

Hello! I've been interested in science since childhood, have been working as a scientist for NASA in Houston. I have written numerous papers and just published a book. I also enjoy travel, movies and theatre.