What Science Personalities Inspired You as a Kid?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around personal inspirations in science during childhood, exploring various figures, shows, and experiences that sparked interest in scientific concepts and fields. Participants share nostalgic memories of influential personalities, educational resources, and formative experiences related to science, engineering, and medicine.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant recalls watching Julius Sumner Miller and Magnus Pike, noting their impact on their fascination with science.
  • Another mentions being inspired by reading encyclopedias and receiving a chemistry set, highlighting early interests in technical subjects.
  • A participant reflects on preferring non-fiction books about nature and astronomy over fiction during library visits in grade school.
  • One individual shares a childhood observation about the behavior of rubber balls, expressing curiosity about the physics behind it.
  • Another participant describes building a Van de Graaff generator for a science fair as a pivotal moment in their love for science.
  • A participant recounts an early explanation of Einstein's theory of special relativity by their father, which led to ambitious childhood experiments.
  • One individual discusses their experience with a female doctor during childhood, which influenced their interest in science despite not pursuing a medical career.
  • Another participant mentions spending significant time in libraries and engaging with various science-related shows, including Bill Nye the Science Guy.
  • One participant expresses gratitude towards their father for fostering curiosity and understanding of mechanical concepts through discussions at the dinner table.
  • A participant reflects on their extensive reading habits in libraries and the influence of a book on evolution given by their grandmother.
  • One individual shares that they had no specific science inspirations but ended up enjoying chemistry in university, leading to a career in medical science.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants share a variety of personal experiences and inspirations without reaching a consensus on specific figures or shows that inspired them. Multiple competing views and individual stories remain present throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about specific shows or figures from their childhood, indicating a reliance on memory that may not capture all details accurately. The discussion reflects diverse backgrounds and experiences, with no single narrative dominating the conversation.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to individuals reflecting on their own inspirations in science, educators seeking to understand the impact of early influences on students, or anyone interested in the personal narratives that shape scientific curiosity.

  • #31
Legend has it that Bill Nye inspired great physicists like Newton, Einstein, Bohr, and even Feynman.
 
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  • #32
I wasn't much into science as a kid.(or at least I thought I wasn't) Never went to any science camp , never read any science book, and did not experience one of those , for a lack of a better term 'aww' moments that would draw me into science. Never had any family members who were into science, so sadly my interest for science wasn't nurtured at an early age like most of the posters here. I became interested and fascinating(more like obsess with red foxes ) will when I was like 9 or 10 years old. my interest in red foxes attracted my to the world of zoology up until about 10th grade. At 15, walked into a Barnes and Noble store, picked up The Elegant universe by Brian Green , and that particular book got me interested in physics.
 
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  • #33
For starters, my dad, and I used to wake up early to watch Bill Nye too! He made everything so interesting, and would take the time to explain it as well. But my dad is still the number one who inspired me. He let me go out and help him with things. My mom lso has said, that when I was younger, and played on the merry-go-round, I would watch the mechanics, instead of all the pretty colors and animals. I guess it has always kind of been in me :)
 
  • #34
I think that my first inspiration was when I was 2 years old, living on a farm. Watching those guys designing and building make-shift machinery, without even drawing up sketches first, was amazing to me (and still is). I remember one in particular. They just started dragging stuff out of the scrap heap and welding it together. Within a few hours they had a device to fire bales from the back of the baler onto a low-boy wagon towed behind!
After we got a TV, the Johnny Quest cartoons introduced me to more 'high-tech' concepts such as lasers and electromagnets. Likewise for Tom Swift books once I learned to read.
After that, it was straight into all of the classic SF like Heinlein, Poul Anderson, Asimov, etc..
 
  • #35
Danger said:
Likewise for Tom Swift books once I learned to read.
After that, it was straight into all of the classic SF like Heinlein, Poul Anderson, Asimov, etc..

I can't believe you mentioned Tom Swift! That sure brought back a rush of memories... I haven't heard that name in years. Man. Tom Swift and His Jet Marine was one of the first storybooks I remember reading. (May have been the last now that I think about it)
 
  • #36
The 'Megascope Space Prober' was the one that stuck with me. In fact, I built a semblance thereof with my first Lego set. :blushing:
 
  • #37
Danger said:
The 'Megascope Space Prober' was the one that stuck with me. In fact, I built a semblance thereof with my first Lego set. :blushing:

:smile: Now that's funny. I also had a Lego obsession around the same time I was learning about NASAs Apollo missions. When my parents bought me the little grey swiveling pieces with the axle stubs and black rubber wheels, it took my upgraded version of the lunar rover to a whole new level!
 
  • #38
I'm scared to even hypothesize what people are up to with the 'Mindstorms' stuff. U-Tube has a video of some guy with a rubber band-firing Gatling gun made out of Lego. It's amazing. With the computer control of 'Mindstorms', there's some serious equipment running around out there.
Due to the state of Lego at the time, though, I actually preferred my Mechano set. (In fact, the brass spur gear from my Mechano clockwork motor was the prime power transfer junction for the jaw-drive mechanism in my 'Alien' Hallowe'en costume.)
 
  • #39
binzing said:
Integral, what town did you grow up in? It was in Oregon right?

Yep, Roseburg, in southern Oregon. It was kid heaven. We lived across the road from a open field, bounded on the far side by the South Umpuqa river. Fishing, swimming, Blackberry picking, laying on your back watching the cloulds and birds. What more could a kid ask for. There was only 1 channel on the TV, and computers were beyond comprehension. We lived outside, cause no one had air conditioning and the houses were unbearable. It was sleeping out on the warm summer nights that we would watch the satillites go over.
 
  • #40
My father and I would watch Star Trek and NOVA together when I was younger
 
  • #41
Whenever I would ask why I would get at best "God did it" or the usual "How the hell should I know?". I decided those answers weren't good enough so I set out to find the answers myself. When my kids ask me why something is the way it is I want to be able to tell them with enough facts to turn it into an encyclopedia article.

Now I just want to help people in some way and science allows me to do that.
 
  • #42
Nova was a good show. I was well over 22, but still living with my parents, when it came on. Since we didn't have cable, I got permission from my mom's best friend across the street to go over and watch it every week. Believe it or not, those two 80+ year-olds got into it just as much as I did. (In retrospect, the fact that their son is a petroleum engineering professor makes sense.)

edit: Sticks and Stones, you snuck in while I was composing my post. Your explanation pretty much sums it up for me, although I don't have kids (wife's fault, not mine). Despite my lack of education, there is nothing more satisfying than trying successfully to teach a youngster that there is a path that makes sense.
 
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  • #43
Greg Bernhardt said:
Star Trek

I was wondering when this was going to show up! I love scifi as inspiration.