Great aims, small steps: how to stay focused in science

Many students are drawn to science because answering big questions seems all too tempting. In practice, however, even making minimal progress toward meaningful goals can be a major challenge. As if this was not frustrating enough, there is an additional risk. In the process of solving a substantial puzzle, new questions often turn up that grab one’s attention. How to keep the original target in focus? Is it even worth it, or should the novel questions take over? This riddle demands careful consideration. How does this problem show up in different disciplines? What are the discipline-specific strategies to cope with it? Does the ambition to answer big questions enable or does it hinder scientific progress? Our goal to find answers to these and related questions will be kicked off by short expert inputs from different disciplines.