Staying Current
I’ve noticed that there are very few areas of study in which an undergraduate student can actually read, understand and participate in current developments in the chosen field of research. This is rather unfortunate — this is what is generally considered the bane of specialisation. Isaac Newton might have observed a falling apple and gained immeasurable fame, but today, we have no such luck. Many years of effort are required simply to master everything that has been previously done by others, and many more are required to make any original contribution.
Newton wasn’t a very good example here, of course — he was a genius and he was pretty much crazy about his work. You know what they say about the thin line between genius and insanity. The point here is that his concepts of force and gravity are simple enough for sixth-graders to understand, which is not something we can say about the work of scientists and researchers today.