Why are we interested in some things and not others? Why do our interests wax and wane over time? I couldn't help pondering these questions when my adviser left the lab recently for a two-week trip. During his absence, I was surprised to find that sometimes I had difficulty staying focused on my research. As ours is a small lab of just three people (my adviser included), his absence meant a lot of solitary sitting and thinking. The isolation was accentuated by the fact that I'm the only one working on my project.

Solitary science may work for some, but for many, a collaborative research environment seems to be best. In my case, as a newcomer to a vast and established field of study — where the volume of information to sort through and synthesize can seem overwhelming at times — it helps to have colleagues close by who are interested in the same things and who get excited about new findings.

Often, things we think might be interesting turn out to be rather dull, whereas topics we think we're not too keen on can turn into all-consuming passions. A collegial and interactive setting can go a long way towards piquing our interests when we might otherwise struggle to build excitement on our own. Passion for a subject can be contagious, but it's hard to catch anything in isolation.