That's interesting to me, I always found chemistry quite interesting but never took that further after school, physics and electronics and later software design is was caught my imagination when I was younger.
From debating/arguing with people on internet forums about these kinds of subjects for probably thirty years, I've come to realize that there is a huge problem in education regarding the foundations of science.
James Burke whom I cited above, is perhaps one of the best educators on science, its history and development, he makes it quite clear that scientific progress owes a great deal to accident, trial and error, necessity, commerce.
The much lauded "scientific method" touted by so many atheists is such an artificial way of describing science too, the scientific method is not what drives science, it comes much later after wandering down blind alleys, speculating, supposing, pursuing dead ends, developing unconventional ideas and so on.
These activities get little attention in education which instead misrepresents science as some formal process that gradually increases our knowledge - if only we follow "the method".
A lot of atheists I encounter would do well to educate themselves on the history of science and the biographies of scientists, they'll develop and insight that our dry, dull, education system has lost track of.
