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Speak from your heart
Dr Thebe Medupe
Astronomer, University of Cape Town and South African Astronomical Observatory, South Africa
If you really love astronomy, you will want your passion to live on in others after you die. Therefore you must share it with as many people as possible. I especially enjoy interacting with young children. They come up with the most challenging questions, but they also reward you with their excitement.
You cannot close yourself off from the community. Society invested in you. We are doing our work with the tax payers' money and we owe it to them to tell them what we are exploring. Speaking to adults about astronomy is also a nice way to get their minds off the harsh realities of everyday life.
I am extremely lucky that the society where I live makes it possible for me to pursue my hobby and share my passion and get paid to do it - that is astronomy! How many people are that fortunate?!
Studying the history of scientific discovery in Africa I am inspired by the great people who have been doing amazing this on this continent for many centuries. It motivates me to also try and make a difference and I can only hope that I will also leave behind a legacy of new knowledge.
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