When we hear “scientific method,” we usually picture lab coats, notebooks, and trying to figure out why our percent yield is suspiciously low. But what if those same steps weren’t just for experiments — what if they were also a way to navigate life itself?
While trying to answer life’s big questions, I’ve found that curiosity is often the best place to start. If we want to understand life, we have to study it — which is why science has always drawn me in. As a sophomore in college, I’m far from an expert, but I realized: who better to consult than the experts right in our classrooms? So this week, I asked three of my professors one question:
“From your experience in learning about your field and in the scientific community, what is one lesson or concept that has helped you navigate everyday life and decisions — something you would want to share with your students?”
Dr. Sesha Alluri (Chemistry) reminded me that failure is part of the process. “I’ve learned to accept failures more gracefully,” she said. “I must have failed half the experiments I did … only the successful ones ever became papers. But failure isn’t the end. It’s about trying again, seeing what else works, and sometimes even cherishing the mistakes that teach the most.” For Dr. Alluri, mistakes aren’t obstacles but part of the journey toward discovery.
Dr. Paola DiMarzio (Biology) highlighted the idea of the scientific method as a “life method.” “Life is exactly the same as research,” she told me. “You observe, create questions, hypothesize, and test. Instead of experiments, you try different designs, different ways to achieve what you want.” For her, the method is more than a research framework, it’s a way to approach choices and uncertainty. Just as in science, we often don’t know the outcome of an experiment in advance. But by asking questions, experimenting, and learning from the results, we can move closer to a solution that works for us.
Dr. Samuel Hedemann (Physics) teaches us to follow the universe’s story, rather than try to impose our own. “My answer to that [question] is to accept life on life’s terms,” he said. “When I have a hypothesis, I don’t try to force the work to agree with me. If I’m wrong, I don’t take it personally — I take it as a clue. The more I try to listen to the universe and describe it as it is, the more success I have.” Science teaches us that clinging to what we want to be true can prevent us from finding what is actually true. Life works the same way: instead of resisting or forcing outcomes to fit our personal narrative, we can find a sense of tranquility by accepting reality as it is, and letting unexpected results serve as clues towards clarity, rather than step backwards.
When I first asked this question, I assumed their answers would differ drastically depending on their fields. But after hearing their perspectives, I realized that each of them, in their own ways, possesses the same curiosity towards life. Like true scientists, they see living as a process of continual learning.
Dr. DiMarzio encourages us to carry the scientific method into our choices. Dr. Alluri reminds us that failure is inevitable but also transformative. Finally, Dr. Hedemann teaches us to listen carefully to the clues the universe has to offer us.
Together, their lessons suggest this: tackling life like a scientist doesn’t mean we’ll always get it right. But it does mean we will always be asking questions, testing possibilities, interpreting our experiences, and sharing whatever results come our way. And perhaps that ongoing process is the experiment we are all in on – a process that connects us all.
