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So, who is Karen's hero??
good question!
I always had trouble in elementary school when I had to write those stupid essays about "who is my hero?". I really coudn't think of anybody. Of course, for a while I said Albert Einstein just like every other kid since we knew "he was smart". Finally, I realised that if anyone was my hero, it was Stephen Hawking. I first read A Brief History of Time in grade eight, but I realy didn't understand it then nor can I remember what was in it. I also saw the movie! Why Stephen Hawking, though? The answer is obvious. He thrives despite all he has faced. He was diagnosed with ALS when he was just 21 years old. However, he continued his education AND he got married AFTER he knew of the disease!
<<Front cover photo of author © 1988 by David MontgomeryUniverse background © 1988 by Roger Ressmeyer>>
"But I didn't die. In fact, although there was a cloud hanging over my future, I found to my surprise, that I was enjoying life in the present more than before. I began to make progress with my research, and I got engaged to a girl called Jane Wilde, who I had met just about the time my condition was diagnosed. That engagement changed my life. It gave me something to live for."
"One's voice is very important. If you have a slurred voice, people are likely to treat you as mentally deficient: Does he take sugar? This [speech] synthesizer is by far the best I have heard, because it varies the intonation, and doesn't speak like a Dalek. The only trouble is that it gives me an American accent. However, the company is working on a British version."
Both quotes from Stephen Hawking's discussion on his disability. (http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/hawking/disability.html)
from Nick's Stephen Hawking Page
My other heroes include Albert Einstein (of course he's still my hero!) and Carl Sagan. I look up to Einstein for his ability to remain "child-like" (NOT childish) even though he was one of the most famous and celebrated mathematicians of his time (BTW he was a mathematician first; the physics were merely applcations of his mathematics).
"Einstein liked
inventing phrases such as "God does not play dice,"
"The Lord is subtle but not malicious." On one occasion
Bohr answered, "Einstein, stop telling God what to do."
" (from http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/ae63.htm)
Carl Sagan is also one
of my favorite scientists since he held (and still holds, through
his followers) a vision of hope that is lost on so many
researchers. I love watching those old episodes of COSMOS but
they're hardly ever on anymore. I have the book, but its just not
the same. My favorite part is when he discusses (and shows) what
it might be like to view the "galaxyrise" if you lived
on a planet in one of the globular clusters.
Dr. Carl Sagan Honourary Site: lots of stuff! Look!
Go to the Carl Sagan tribute: I signed it too: look for me around pages 30-32!
Another of my favorite
scientists is James Burke. I used to watch CONNECTIONS all the
time when I had cable TV, but I can't anymore. Actually, his show
and COSMOS are quite similar in style except that Burke traces
the history of key events and their outcomes while COSMOS doesn't
follow a timeline.
Go to The James Burke Web Repository!
But don't forget James Randi: the debunker and magician
Just because you hear
about something, that doesn't mean its true! James Randi has
devoted his life to debunking the claims of pseudoscientists and
psychics. He is searching for evidence for the claims about the
paranormal, but so far has found none! In fact, the James Randi Educational Foundation offers a cash reward
for PROOF of the supernatural (so far no money has been given
out!).
Go to The JREF (James Randi Educational Foundataion)
But Karen! All your heroes are male! Why? Because nearly all of the great scientists of this century have been male. Us women are just starting to make names for ourselves in the world of science so its going to be a while until there are famous and respected female scientists (academic respect doesn't come overnight, you know!).
Send e-mail to Karen!
[email protected]
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