Never stop learning

175 minutes for chemistry

Alan Shipley is a retired chemist who has never stopped learning. He shares how he spends his time4chem keeping abreast of scientific developments and adding to his knowledge.

I have now been retired for 27 years. But it is difficult to shed the habits of a lifetime and stop learning about all the exciting developments that are taking place in science. Retirement also gives one an opportunity to learn about other technologies that you just did not have time for when working for a living.

One resource that I found that helped both of the above is the website www.coursera.org. The site has many science courses offered by universities all over the world. Some of the ones I have taken are:

• Nanotechnology – The Basics Rice University
• Introduction to Forensic Science – Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• Vital Signs: Understanding What the Body Is Telling Us – University of Pennsylvania
• Chemicals and Health – Johns Hopkins University
• Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life – The University of Edinburgh
• Nanotechnology and Nanosensors – Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
• From the Big Bang to Dark Energy – The University of Tokyo

The other courses I have taken concern my other love, music.

The bottom line is this: Don't ever say that retirement is the end of the world – it is just the beginning of a more exciting phase of life, with every opportunity to involve yourself in those pursuits that interest you.