Chance Favours the Prepared Mind

As part of the UCC HRS4R initiative the UCC Researcher Conference was held on April 28th 2016 

Chance Favours the Prepared Mind

Stories of research are full of lucky coincidences. Chance and good fortune are often cited as vital to making discoveries in research. But take a closer look.  Even when researchers feel that luck had everything to do with it the steps leading to a new finding or idea often tell a different story. It takes more than being in the right place, at the right time, to make a great discovery or leap. Background knowledge, an inquisitive mind, creative thinking, the right tools, collaboration and good timing are all part of the story that leads to that thought, experiment or event as Louis Pasteur said “chance favours only the prepared mind” *

Of course, researchers have to explain and justify their work ahead of time in order to secure funding, but many great discoveries have been made outside of the explicit goals and parameters of the prescribed research.

Speakers were asked to discuss their own experiences of chance and preparation in research particularly exploring how planned insight coupled with unplanned events can provide wonderful results.

 28 April 2016

Key Note Speaker Professor J.C. Seamus Davis Cornell University/ Brookhaven NL / St Andrews University   

Presented:

Seeing, Hearing & Touching Quantum Matter

See Conference Programme here 2016 Researcher Conference Programme 

* See References