Can you name a living scientist?

1. 71

   i scribbleposted 11 years ago

   Can you name a living scientist?
   
   I first heard this question posed in the media several years ago, when it was reported that most people could not name even one still living. I was taken aback as I had difficulty coming up with a name myself, though I could name many dead ones. Since then I've made a point of trying to remember as least a few that I admire.
   I will now offer up the name of my favorite living scientist, James Hansen.   Hansen, recently retired from NASA, is America's leading climatologist and climate activist.  He is author of the book "Storms of My Grandchildren", a must read.
   Now your turn.

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2. 0

   JThomp42posted 11 years ago

   Stephen Hawking, whose work on the nature of space and time remains groundbreaking and whose story of personal triumph despite suffering a neuro-muscular dystrophy has inspired millions.

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      i scribbleposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Good choice.  Of course, I'm familiar with Hawking, but sometimes I have trouble coming up with his name if I haven't heard it lately.

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      JThomp42posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you! 

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      Laura Schneiderposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Stephen Hawking is amazing! I'm right with you, JT, he's top of my list, too for all of the reasons you mentioned (and I hadn't read your answer when I wrote mine :-) ).

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3. 77

   CraftytotheCoreposted 11 years ago

   My ex is a scientist for a top pharmaceutical company and he is an inventor, so yes, I can name a scientist ! LOL

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   1. 71

      i scribbleposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Of course!  I meant to mention that people in scientific fields would obviously be able to name scientists, including famous ones. Also meant to say 'No cheating' to find names; just ran out of characters.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I hate it when I run out of characters and can't finish making a point! They cut comments WAYYYY short. (Shorter than the old days?) Makes one write succinctly, though. I'm loquacious (no, really??), so it's good practice for me, I admit.

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4. 78

   Laura Schneiderposted 11 years ago

   Without cheating and looking anything up or at other answers... Stephen Hawking, Richard Feynman (I think he's still alive), my father and mother, my ex; virtually all university professors in math, science, technology, and medicine (I hope I'm not forgetting anything obvious; those are blanket parent categories intended to be all-inclusive of sub-categories); and numerous other un-famous people that you don't hear of in the news (I can name about 25 I know or have worked for/with personally/directly, but I've worked with hundreds in my career).
   
   I would argue lightly that most engineers (especially Professional Engineers or "PE"s) are probably also scientists as are some engineering technicians.
   
   I can name plenty of dead ones, too. :-)

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   1. 71

      i scribbleposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Show off! (jk ) You make some great points, like what are the parameters of who is considered a scientist.  I don't remember/know? Richard Feynman, but will look him up.

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   2. 78

      Laura Schneiderposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      :-) Sorry!
      
      Feynman is famous not just for his physics but for his teaching--bringing the complex down to earth where "us normal folk" can comprehend and appreciate it. Many of his lectures are on DVD and are very animated and enlightening. Genius!

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   3. 71

      i scribbleposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I Googled Feynman. Turns out he died in '88.  Has an impressive resume though.  Helped develop the atom bomb, advances in quantum physics, etc for those interested.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That's too bad he died; sorry, thought he'd just retired. I guess it was an occupational hazard (working with radiation). Thanks for googling him and providing the extra info!! He's really cool--I studied his work in school. Recommended geek reading!

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5. 76

   Thief12posted 11 years ago

   Tim Berners-Lee, computer scientist and designer of the World Wide Web.

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   1. 71

      i scribbleposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Good one!  I read about him a while back, but wouldn't have remembered the name in a million years!

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6. 74

   lone77starposted 11 years ago

   Myself. Okay, that's cheating. I have a friend named John R. Jones, PhD, ecologist, friend since 1973, co-author of our novel in 1983, fellow roommate for several years in there. He's retired, now, from forest ecology, but he still writes science fiction under the pen name, John Dalmas.

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   1. 78

      Laura Schneiderposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That's NOT cheating, lone77star! That's totally cool--both that you are both scientists, that you both wrote a book together, and that you both still write significantly!

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      i scribbleposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Technically not cheating since I didn't specify any ground rules. Now I'm curious what field you're in. Will have to check your profile since you didn't say.  Did you do that on purpose? jk

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7. 57

   PoeticFailosophyposted 11 years ago

   Many. I have worked in academia and anyone who is conducting scientific research is considered a scientist, so you get to be around a lot of them.  Any science professor you had in college is a scientist. You probably know more of them than you think.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Agreed, PoeticFailosophy!

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