Scientists outshine arts students with experiments in creative writing

With no publication angst and a killer work ethic, science students easily match their peers in the humanities in the art of creative writing. It even makes them better scientists

We are eating noodles in the sunshine at Imperial College, London, when my former student tells me about his invention. Meet SAM, says Joachim and places his prototypes on the bench a tiny switch and actuator that will allow everyone to make wireless smart things without knowing anything about coding or electronics. A jacket that heats up when your body temperature drops, a fridge that warns youre out of milk its an Internet of Things idea and the applications seem endless once you start connecting people and objects. While Joachim answers my questions about how he and his team will manage the journey from inspiration to execution, Im reminded of another conversation we once had about risk.

It was inspired by a story about an assassin in the murderous heat of a noonday piazza one of those ambitious narratives whose success depends entirely upon managing uncertainty. For I am a novelist and Joachim is a mechanical engineer who took my creative writing class as part of his degree, and he outlines his business plan with the same passion and precision as he wrote that short story.

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