Why Science Matters

Scientific research is hard, frustrating, and beautiful. Whether it’s performing an experiment with jittery hands (thanks, coffee), staring at a computer analyzing endless data, writing grants or papers, or nervously prepping for a presentation. Science is hard, but beautiful.

I’m starting this blog by asking both myself and you: Why does science even matter?

For me, it starts with curiosity. I love figuring out how things work. Neuroscience, especially, is still so full of unknowns and constant discovery. No matter what career I might’ve chosen, I’m pretty sure I’d still be stressed. The difference with this path is that the stress is always shifting, always tied to something new. Since pursuing science, I can honestly say I’ve never been bored.

I often tell my students that stress is an important part of life. It means we care. So as I begin this blog, I want to share a few reasons why scientific research matters and why I’ve dedicated my life to it. Every day in our lab, we chase questions that don’t have easy answers. How does the brain make sense of social signals? What happens when that process breaks down? Why do tiny molecules have such a huge impact on behavior? These aren’t just abstract curiosities. They’re puzzles that shape how we understand mental health, neurodevelopment, and even human connection.

So why do we do science? Why spend hours pipetting, imaging, analyzing, and then doing it all over again? Here are three reasons that keep us going and maybe they’ll resonate with you too:

1. Science helps us solve real problems:

In our lab, we study how brain chemistry and neural circuits shape social behavior. This work has real-world implications. From understanding autism and PTSD to uncovering how environmental toxins affect the brain. Science gives us a way forward when the stakes are high.

2. Science helps us understand the world

Brains are weird, beautiful, and deeply complex. Science is how we begin to untangle that complexity. With every experiment, we get a bit closer to understanding how neurons communicate, how behavior emerges, and how biology and environment collide.

3. Science makes the future possible

The tools we build, the data we collect, the questions we ask. They all lay the foundation for future breakthroughs. Maybe what we learn today about brain networks will help create new therapies tomorrow. Maybe it’ll change how we understand ourselves.

RO