MANILA, Philippines?Why do scientists go into science? Most do so out of pure interest, which turns into passion, with a genuine desire to delve into the workings of the world. Others may do it for glory. Albert Einstein once said, ?Politics is for the moment, but an equation is for eternity.? Very few do it for money.

Two weeks ago, four Nobel Prize chemists visited the Philippines and talked about their work and lives. During the open forum, a student mused that many Filipinos would rather go into business, where the money was, than science, where often there was only little money.

My friend Nina Rosario L. Rojas fell in love with science in Grade 5, and this love has not waned. Now she teaches biochemistry at the Ateneo de Manila Chemistry Department and the School of Medicine and Public Health.

Following is Nina?s personal account, on what happened next at the Nobel Forum.

Money and science

Prof. Yuan Tseh Lee of Taiwan, who shared the 1986 Nobel for the dynamics of chemical processes, responded, ?Why do you want money?? Money enables people to do what they want, such as hobbies. But what if we are already doing what we want to do?

Eventually, we become excellent at it and indeed, rewards do come. Aside from the Nobel, Professor Lee became the leader of Academia Sinica, the foremost research institution in Taiwan. He now spends roughly US$1 million a year for what can be considered his ?hobby.?

Turning to Filipino taipan Lucio Tan, Professor Lee asked, ?Do you spend a million dollars a year on your hobbies?? The crowd burst into laughter as the taipan shook his head.

Of course, not every scientist wins the Nobel, and not every Nobelist has the ear of his country?s president. As another Nobelist quipped, he does not even have a hotline to his institution?s director.

But there is a ring of truth to Professor Lee?s statements. As scientists, we often simply love what we do, and for many, that love leads to a drive for excellence, and excellence often leads to public recognition and financial reward.

Do science and teaching pay? I have a roof over my head, even personal money for my books and simple hobbies. I am grateful that I do not have the severe financial pressures that make some turn to other professions and other countries. And while I may wish for a million dollars, or even just a million pesos, for our research lab, it has enough resources to keep doing biochemistry.

Love and science

Not everyone falls in love with science, and not everyone falls in love with teaching. I have been lucky to fall in love with both. And like any great love, it has become the proverbial pearl of great price. The opportunity to do what I enjoy and to do work that is meaningful keeps me going even with the daily grind. The rewards are built into the job: in the joy of discovery and application, and the joy of sharing the journey with students.

The best payment for me is when my students fall in love with their work and find their place in the world. For love is not romantic, but practical. To paraphrase Fr. Pedro Arrupe?love decides how one feels and thinks, what one does, what decisions one makes, and how one builds one?s life each day.

Loving our work leads to dedication and excellence. Prof. Aaron Ciechanover of Israel shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for unraveling the mystery of protein death. Today there are drugs in the pipeline for cancer and other diseases that owe much to this work.

Ciechanover pointed out, ?We didn?t plan on anything. And I think this is the lesson: You shouldn?t plan on prizes, and recognition, or anything. But you should plan on one thing: Being excellent.?

Prof. Ryoji Noyori of Japan echoed, ?Winning the prize wasn?t the purpose of my life, but simply the consequence of my dedication to science.? He shared the 2001 Nobel Prize for his work on catalysts, especially for the selective synthesis of left-handed or right-handed molecules. His work is important in the development of more environment-friendly chemicals.

The journey itself is the reward.