Who Are Some Scientists Who Achieved Success Later in Life?

[wifi]

Anyone know of any?

 

[WannabeNewton]

In what field in particular?

 

[micromass]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Smale

 

[wifi]

In what field in particular?

Any.

 

[wifi]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Smale

Maybe I wasn't specific. I'm talking about people who started their scientific career later on in life.

 

[HayleySarg]

He started in history, but took a new avenue into theoretical physics later. He was still quite young (in his 20's) when he got the PhD though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Witten

He started much later, thesis at 60 something.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugène_Ehrhart

 

[Von Neumann]

He started in history, but took a new avenue into theoretical physics later. He was still quite young (in his 20's) when he got the PhD though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Witten

Of course, Witten is a legend! I thought he was in economics first though.

 

[HayleySarg]

According to what I've read, and the wiki, he did his B.S in History (minor in linguistics). He did, however, drop out of Econ grad school.

 

[wifi]

Ehrhart seems like he was active in mathematics (ie. teaching/researching) his whole life.

http://icps.u-strasbg.fr/~clauss/Ehrhart.html

 

[HayleySarg]

He was 22 at the time of his HS degree, so his B.S was when he was in his mid 20's. He taught H.S math through his 30's.

So while yes, he was involved, he wasn't doing anything too in-depth.

Does this stem from curiosity, or personal comparison if I may ask?

 

[wifi]

A little bit of both to be honest.

 

[George Jones]

That cat person.

 

[wifi]

That cat person.

Thanks.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I've always felt that people who come late to the party almost never make it, and it's all they can do to hold their head above water. However, I was talking to this geophysicist girl last night about this and she made the point that a huge percentage of people start early, a very small percentage attempt to start late, and so the percentage of those late starters who make it might well be the same percentage as the percentage of early starters who make it.

She told me about two late starters (late 20's, early 30's) in her program who are doing remarkable well. One of them actually shot ahead of everyone else and did something kind of amazing.

 

[Dr_Pill]

George Green (14 July 1793 – 31 May 1841) was a British mathematical physicist who wrote An Essay on the Application of Mathematical Analysis to the Theories of Electricity and Magnetism (Green, 1828).[1][2] The essay introduced several important concepts, among them a theorem similar to the modern Green's theorem, the idea of potential functions as currently used in physics, and the concept of what are now called Green's functions. Green was the first person to create a mathematical theory of electricity and magnetism and his theory formed the foundation for the work of other scientists such as James Clerk Maxwell, William Thomson, and others. His work ran parallel to that of the great mathematician Gauss (potential theory).
Green's life story is remarkable in that he was almost entirely self-taught. He was born and lived for most of his life in the English town of Sneinton, Nottinghamshire, nowadays part of the city of Nottingham. His father (also named George) was a baker who had built and owned a brick windmill used to grind grain. The younger Green only had about one year of formal schooling as a child, between the ages of 8 and 9.

Incredible.

 

[Cthugha]

That guy finished his PhD in physics when he was 60. It took him quite a long time to finish it. Not sure, what he did all that time, though. I heard he spent his time with some royals or something like that.