What Are Current Issues Whose Answers Lie in Physics?

[Daine]

I have decided that I want to pursue a career in physics and chemistry. It is very important to me that my career helps people. While I know that there are current testing and research being done for cures and treatments to numerous diseases, I don' think that biology is the field for me. Thus I was wondering if there are any current problems in the world that need to be solved by physics or chemistry. Thank you for your time.

 

[fresh_42]

I guess there are many. The question is by its nature to a large extend a question about engineering. Some which might become urgent in the near future is to desalinate ocean water without the huge amount of energy current systems use, build more and better tidal power plants, substitute oil based polymers, remove our trash in orbit and oceans, energy storage systems, find new resources of certain elements (e.g. by improved recycling methods), better predictions and avoidance of celestial collisions with earth, the construction of giant dike systems, quantum computing, etc. And these are only the ones, which are more or less obvious. Many more will arise as times go by.

 

[finnk]

here is some resource on the 14 grand challenges for engineering in the 21st century http://engineeringchallenges.org/challenges.aspx

 

[Logical Dog]

just about everything. Physics is THE central science! I have read about physics and mathematicians work and research, on problems about terrorism, social stuff (economics, pscyhology) apart from the usual science and engineering things. The fact is if you study physics, engineering or math, you can go a lot of places, especially if you break through to research/Phd level. But these might just be the success stories that I have seen.

sincerely, a wannabe Logician and mathematician.

- LD.

 

[Daine]

Thank you so much for your insight, everyone. It is greatly appreciated!

 

[berkeman]

I have decided that I want to pursue a career in physics and chemistry. It is very important to me that my career helps people. While I know that there are current testing and research being done for cures and treatments to numerous diseases, I don' think that biology is the field for me. Thus I was wondering if there are any current problems in the world that need to be solved by physics or chemistry. Thank you for your time.

Welcome to the PF.

You might look at current cutting edge research and development in the Biological Engineering and Medical Physics fields.

There has been a lot of progress in interfacing prosthetic limbs to the human nervous system, for example, and in efforts to restore sight and hearing with devices interfaced to the human nervous system. Very important work, and those projects would seem to need help in the fields that you are interested in studying.