Alan Finkel, science entrepreneur and co-founder of COSMOS Magazine

What neuroscientist and entrepreneur Dr Alan Finkel did on 12 April 2006, World-Wide Day in Science:

April 12th finds me in the middle of a multi-month career transition. For over 20 years, I ran a company named Axon Instruments that made electronic amplifiers and automated microscopes for neuroscientists and researchers at pharmaceutical companies.

Prior to that I spent a couple of years as a postdoctoral researcher but I realised that while I loved the neurosciences I got more kicks out of making the scientific instruments that enabled my research than doing the research itself.

Recently, my company was purchased and as of the beginning of 2006 I am officially retired but full of energy to do things. One of the activities I have invested in is an unusual magazine about science and society called Cosmos Magazine.

As it happens, today was one of those days where not much worked out in the morning as planned: there were phone calls about our magazine distribution strategy, providing references for ex-employees, dealing with creating a new web site that had a mind of its own, organising bank transfers and reviewing a possible investment in a medical technology company.

But the most interesting part of the day was an afternoon meeting I had with the publishing arm of the CSIRO (Australia's national scientific research organization) to explore ways that we could help each other in our mutual desire to inform and inspire prospective scientists and engineers.

My interest in science as a youngster was fuelled by reading books on medicine, electronics and science. Magazines like Popular Science, Scientific American and even National Geographic enthralled me with their descriptions of trail blazing science and technology driven exploration.

Last year, when I reviewed the science magazine landscape, I didn't think it was as rich as what I recalled, which is why I co-founded COSMOS magazine to present science in its true milieu, which consists of the people behind it and a mixture of history and sociology that gives it context.