The Power of a Pastime from Painting to Punching to Aeroplane-Jumping, the Hobbies That Scientists Pursue Offer a Vital Escape from the Laborious Life of the Lab

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LEISURE ACTIVITIES The power of a pastime From painting to punching to aeroplane-jumping, the hobbies that scientists pursue offer a vital escape from the laborious life of the lab.

BY CHRIS WOOLSTON For Bianco, boxing is not just a hobby; it is a their minds, building confidence and reducing total mind-and-body escape from her work. “As stress. Their experiences should offer hope to lbert Einstein mastered the violin. a scientist, I’m thinking about all sorts of things researchers who are feeling overwhelmed by Richard Feynman banged bongos. Fol- all the time,” she says. “The ring is quiet. You get the pressure of their jobs. Release can be just a lowing in the tradition of multi-talented tunnel vision. The other person is trying to take ride, jump, joke or punch away. Aphysicists, Federica Bianco likes to take a break off your head and you have to deal with that.” To be sure, some senior researchers in from her research to punch people in the face. At a time when competition for science academia and other sectors still look askance at Bianco, an avid boxer who is also an astrophysi- funding and job promotions sometimes hobbies or leisure activities. Ryan Raver, now cist at New York University, flew to Richmond, resembles a boxing match, many research- a product manager at the biotechnology firm California, for her first professional bout in ers have trouble conceiving of an active life Sigma-Aldrich in St Louis, Missouri, recalls an April. It did not go well for her opponent. Bianco outside the lab. Indeed, there can be subtle — instance at the University of Wisconsin–Madi- pinned her competitor to the ropes with a flurry or not so subtle — pressures to sacrifice leisure son when he heard that one of the members of of punches and did not let up until the referee time and put aside other interests for the sake his thesis committee had commented that he called the fight. It took just one minute and of the next experiment, paper or conference thought Raver had spent too much time blog- twenty seconds. “I didn’t want to stop, but she talk. But many scientists say that their pastimes ging and playing lead guitar in a hard-rock was taking too much punishment,” Bianco says. make them better researchers by sharpening band. “He thought I should have been more

focused on my work,” Raver says. “But play- hours you put in, the more likely it is that you’ll public. “An unexpectedly large number of ing in the band helped me survive grad school. have quality data,” he says. “But people aren’t Nobel laureates took up surfing when it came It kept my excitement and motivation up. It machines. They need to take breaks and reset into fashion in the 1960s,” he says. pushed me through the day.” their minds when things get tough.” Some in academia do appreciate the value Sean Carroll, a physicist at the California of hobbies and leisure pursuits for early- Institute of Technology in Pasadena, wrote a FIGHT SCIENCE WITH SCIENCE career researchers, perhaps because they have blogpost advising scientists to choose their There is plenty of evidence that scientific discovered it for themselves. Tony Ryan, a hobbies carefully, especially if they ever want research and leisure pursuits can coex- chemist and pro-vice-chancellor of the fac- to win tenure. Specifically, he counsels them ist. A study published in 2008 found that ulty of science at to stay away from pastimes that could drain Nobel prizewinners were more likely than “Permissible the University of attention from science. “You are better off if other scientists or members of the public to hobbies include Sheffield, UK, has your hobbies are nothing like your work,” he have long-standing hobbies. Notably, the skydiving, hired many scien- writes. “Permissible hobbies include skydiving, prizewinners were about 1.5 times more playing guitar, tists over the years. playing guitar, or cooking. Suspicious hobbies likely to actively pursue arts and crafts or cooking. He has always been include writing of any sort (novels, magazine than were members of the US National Suspicious reluctant to offer a articles, blogs), programming or web stuff, Academy of Sciences(R. Root-Bernstein et al. hobbies include position to anyone starting a business, etc. Why? Because there’s J. Psychol. Sci. Technol. 1, 51–63; 2008). For writing of who is so focused a feeling that this kind of activity represents this sample, hobbies turned out to be better any sort.” on research that she time that could be spent on research.” predictors of Nobel-level greatness even or he has no time Carroll, who in 2005 was denied tenure at a than reported IQ, which does not vary much for anything else. different institution, says in his blogpost that between ‘top’ and ‘average’ scientists. “We want to know that you’re an A-1 excellent he regrets the time and effort that he put into Robert Root-Bernstein, a physiologist at scientist, but we also want to know that you’re writing Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduc- Michigan State University in East Lansing and a well-rounded person whom students will tion to General Relativity (Addison-Wesley, lead author of the study, says that it is hard to relate to,” he explains. 2003), a textbook that did not win him many know whether hobbies themselves help to fuel He has his own obsession: despite the points in scientific circles. In the blogpost, he genius or whether geniuses are simply more demands of his job, he logs about 8,000 kilo- deems the book “probably the worst thing I likely to take up hobbies (see ‘The secret lives metres on his bicycle every year. He bikes did personally”. of polymaths’). “It’s probably some combina- to and from work, and rides with a group of Raver says that he had a much easier time tion,” he says. He also notes that, contrary to enthusiasts — who call themselves ‘Common following his outside passions once he left public opinion, scientific masterminds tend Lane Occasionals’ — every Saturday morning. academia for an industry job. “Professors and to be more adventurous, daring and physically While pedalling, he likes to talk about prime academics want you to believe that the more vigorous than are members of the general numbers with a computer scientist, sometimes to the annoyance of other members of the group, which includes a tree surgeon, a NOBLE PASTIMES plumber and a physician. Ryan even brings his bike along to inter- The secret lives of polymaths national conferences, whether in London or Hong Kong. “I can fold it up and pack it The ranks of Nobel prizewinners in the Carol Greider, who shared the 2009 Nobel into a suitcase,” he says. “Other people will sciences include many artists, musicians, Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her bring bikes of their own. Cycling has become athletes and writers. Here are the hobbies of groundbreaking work with chromosome the new golf.” seven notable Nobel laureates — and one telomeres, is a dedicated athlete who has Similarly, Alexander Suh, an evolutionary single-minded exception. competed in several triathlons. biologist at Uppsala University in Sweden, packs his climbing gear for any conference Frederick Banting, who shared the 1923 May-Britt and Edvard Moser, a married that might be near a rock face or climbing Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine couple who shared the 2014 Nobel wall (pretty much all of them). Suh, who has for his co-discovery of insulin, left behind Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their been engaging seriously in the sport for about hundreds of paintings and sketches when discovery of the neural grid cells that help three years, says that his hobby has been great he was killed in a plane crash at the age of humans and other animals to navigate their for professional networking. “So many biolo- 49. One of his oil paintings sold for more surroundings, are avid mountain climbers gists are interested in rock climbing that you than US$76,000 in 2008. who got engaged on the summit of Mount can meet up with someone anywhere you Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. go,” he says. “We talk about science and we In addition to playing the bongos, Richard talk about climbing.” When he is on his home Feynman, who shared the Nobel Prize in Stefan Hell, co-recipient of the 2014 campus, Suh tries to squeeze in an hour or so Physics in 1965 for his work on quantum Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work with of climbing “whenever work gets crazy”. In electrodynamics, sketched and painted fluorescent microscopy, is a saxophone addition to clearing his mind, scaling a wall under the pseudonym Ofey. Female nudes enthusiast who specializes in jazz and improv. helps to undo the physical toll of genomics were a common subject. research. “I get a caveman posture sitting in In a 2007 interview, geneticist Elizabeth front of a computer all day,” he says. Albert Einstein could play Beethoven Blackburn told the journal Biotechniques that Many scientists enjoy climbing, but sonatas on his violin when he was a she did not really have any major pastimes Maria Sapar prefers falling. A PhD student teenager and he performed at many benefit outside of the lab. “People who love their in molecular biology at Cornell University concerts in his later years. He once said work don’t need hobbies,” she said. “Work is in Ithaca, New York, Sapar has made 147 that “life without playing music is your hobby.” She went on to share the 2009 skydiving jumps, with many more ahead — inconceivable to me”. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. C.W. not bad for someone who is a bit afraid of heights. “I’m not a big fan of roller coasters,”

CHRIS ATKINS Science educator

Elizabeth Waters manages the outreach teaching laboratories at the Rockefeller University in New York City, where high-school students and their teachers can use state-of-the- art equipment. She explains how boosting others’ enthusiasm for and understanding of science builds on what she liked most about scientific research.

What skills from the lab help you to do Astrophysicist Federica Bianco duels her opponent in a boxing match in Richmond, California. your job? As a researcher, I was fortunate enough to she says. Fortunately, the vast distance to Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision receive my own grant and manage the grant the ground does not necessarily register to Go to Grad School (Three Rivers Press, budget myself. I learned how to keep tasks and when she is leaning out of an aeroplane. 2010). For example, he talks about the costs in line with the goals of the project. And “It’s like looking at Google Maps,” she says. time that he worked three straight 21-hour learning how to establish collaborations with Still, there is just enough risk and excite- days to provide data for an adviser’s other researchers was very relevant to what I ment to put the rest of her life — especially presentation. The twist — as many sci- do now. Making sure that I understand other her research — in perspective. “When I’m entists in his audiences might guess — is people’s expectations of my role and their scared or nervous about something in that the data never got used. He says that expectations of their role — that is really criti- science, I think: Maria, you jump out of he is generally happy with his educa- cal. All of the details around running a class aeroplanes. You can do this.” tion and scientific career, but he is also smoothly depend on those skills. Although skydiving falls into Carroll’s grateful that he has a platform through category of ‘permissible hobbies’, Sapar does which to joke about its flaws. “Academia When did you first work with students? not talk much about her pastime in the lab, could use more humour,” he says, even if The lab that I worked in as a researcher at and has decided against putting it on her some of that humour has a sharp point. Rockefeller often hosted a high-school or col- CV. She reckons that future employers will “Only by complaining about something lege student. I asked for students to mentor and care more about her research and publica- can you actually do something about it.” realized that I was starting to think more big- tion history than her jump count, and there Like Ruben, Bianco is actively looking picture about the students’ research experience, is always the chance that someone might for gigs. She has yet to schedule her next working out what kinds of projects would be take a negative view of her hobby. “When I bout, but is still devoting many hours to good for them. I did that because I loved to see tell people about it face to face, I always get the ring. She spars with a partner several other people have the opportunity to talk about one of two reactions. It’s either, ‘Oh, that’s times a week, and she is always trying science and get excited. Now, we’re bringing cool,’ or ‘Why would you ever do that?’.” to get better. “Getting a PhD in physics students into labs that are just like those in Adam Ruben, a malaria-vaccine made me a competitive person,” she says. which Nobel prizes have been won. The itera- researcher with the biotechnology com- At first, she was worried that her fel- tions of moving from training one student to the pany Sanaria in Rockville, Maryland, has low researchers might look down on her next gave me skills that I use all the time. had some scary moments of his own while hobby. But the word is out about how she practising his hobby: stand-up comedy. spends her time outside the lab, and she How did you make it into a career? As a graduate student at Johns Hopkins has been pleasantly surprised by the posi- I started talking to lots of people when I was a University in Baltimore, Maryland, he tive responses from both the boxing and postdoc, asking, ‘What is your favourite part would head to the city’s clubs and bars to physics communities. Boxers whom she of your job?’ I tried to identify the theme that try out some jokes in front of often less- meets are always amazed to learn that she really resonated most with me. Science educa- than-impressed crowds. “I’d go to open- is an astrophysicist, and physicists have tion was at the top of my list. Then I tailored mic nights where there were 30 other been completely supportive of her pugilism. my CV. I volunteered to organize a yearly comedians and 5 audience members. It was “Everyone is amused, interested and some- outreach event for fifth-graders, and taught a terrible,” he says. After moving to nearby how, even proud,” she says. medical laboratory class at Hunter College in Washington DC, he started to perform for Depending on the setting, she is either a New York City, where I was an adjunct profes- bigger audiences that were receptive of the physicist–boxer or a boxer–physicist. Either sor. Making time for those activities and for occasional foray into science humour. way, she is proof that scientists can be more networking was not neglecting my research Ruben still takes time away from his than their work, especially if they happen duties. It was serving my scientific career. ■ work to develop his act and perform live to have a wicked right hook. ■ shows. In addition to one-liners, he often INTERVIEW BY MONYA BAKER tells stories about his time as a PhD student, Chris Woolston is a freelance writer in This interview has been edited for length and clarity; see go.nature.com/gpmhxr for more. a topic that he mined heavily for his book, Billings, Montana.