We stare at our computer in the same way you’d stare at your TV or when playing video games. There’s a lot going on to keep us interested. As a design engineer, a lot of my job is done on my computer, but that’s how we design things that we make or get made. We leave our desks pretty often, and not just for coffee!
Assembly and testing of our machines and structures is a big (and fun!) part of the job.
As an experimental physicist I would say normally no – or at least not all the time. One of the things I like about my job is that I get to ‘test’ physics physically. In my case that means working in my optics lab with lasers, and optics like lenses and mirrors and building experimental apparatus by screwing it together – like an expensive version of meccano or lego. I also make really small ‘microscale’ optical devices (about the thickness of a human hair) using in a ‘cleanroom’ – a room designed to have no dust in it which has specialised fabrication equipment in it.
Unfortunately at the moment like many people we are having to work at home – so right now I do spend a lot of time staring at my computer – planning the next experiment I will get to do when we can get back into the lab.
Comments
Mike commented on :
We stare at our computer in the same way you’d stare at your TV or when playing video games. There’s a lot going on to keep us interested. As a design engineer, a lot of my job is done on my computer, but that’s how we design things that we make or get made. We leave our desks pretty often, and not just for coffee!
Assembly and testing of our machines and structures is a big (and fun!) part of the job.
John commented on :
As an experimental physicist I would say normally no – or at least not all the time. One of the things I like about my job is that I get to ‘test’ physics physically. In my case that means working in my optics lab with lasers, and optics like lenses and mirrors and building experimental apparatus by screwing it together – like an expensive version of meccano or lego. I also make really small ‘microscale’ optical devices (about the thickness of a human hair) using in a ‘cleanroom’ – a room designed to have no dust in it which has specialised fabrication equipment in it.
Unfortunately at the moment like many people we are having to work at home – so right now I do spend a lot of time staring at my computer – planning the next experiment I will get to do when we can get back into the lab.