Fine advice on failing, luck and limiting expertise
- Wits University
Wits University awarded Dr David Fine an honorary degree at the Faculty of Science graduation ceremony on 17 April 2023.
What do the Lockerbie bombing, landmines and pulmonary hypertension have in common?
Apart from being either deadly or potentially lethal, all three were a focus for innovation by the entrepreneurial chemist, Dr David Fine, who delivered the keynote address at the Faculty of Science graduation ceremony.
“The last time I was in this Hall was 59 years ago, when I received my BSc Honours degree, second-class, in chemistry. That was before all you graduates were born. It was before even most of your parents were born, so I feel it’s appropriate for me to mention some of the lessons learnt that I wish I’d known very much earlier,” said Fine, after congratulating all graduands and especially "those who are first in their family to receive a university degree”.
Lesson 1: Expertise blocks innovative thinking
The first lesson, Fine said, was in solving tough technical problems, “when you are taught that the way to solve a problem is to study it, become an expert, then you can solve the problem.”
But Fine says this approach doesn’t work, and he quotes Zen Buddhist master Shunryo Suzuki, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s, there are few.”
The lesson is clear. Fine says, “If you’re an expert, it blocks a lot of your innovative thinking. You want to be the beginner. So the right way to solve the problem is to read about it just enough to understand. No more. Stop. Then think of all the possible solutions.”
For Fine, it’s always been the guiding principle: Don’t become too much of an expert if you want to innovate in that field.
Lesson 2: Expect resistance
Lesson two is the realisiation that you’re going to get push-back. “When you have new ideas, people very often don’t understand what you’ve done or don’t believe what you’ve done,” said Fine.
He recalls how, at an international meeting, his innovations irked some scholars in the field, who didn’t believe his findings, declared his work “rubbish”, and called him incompetent and a naïve fool – an unfortunate and ironic response to an innovator who now, at age 81, holds no fewer than 105 patents in the United States.
Over the course of his career, Fine has published 88 papers focusing on environmental hazards involving carcinogenic compounds, which he identified in foods, beverages, cosmetics, and industrial products.
He has made a significant contribution to the scientific understanding of chemical engineering processes, combustion engineering, and air pollution.
He pioneered the detection of hazardous levels of nitrosamines in foods, body fluids, and in the factory environment, which has important health implications given that chronic nitrosamine intake is associated with cancers, particularly of the digestive tract.
Nitrosamines are organic compounds that we are exposed to in our everyday lives. They exist in low levels in our water and foods, including meat, vegetables, and dairy products. Some nitrosamines may increase the risk of cancer if people are exposed to them above acceptable levels and over long periods of time.