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RSS feed		survey abc | def | ghi | jkl | mno | pqrs | tuv | wxyz | index Survey home First thoughts Final thoughts Survey responses RSS feed Michael Baum Gustav Born K Eric Drexler Marcus du Sautoy Harold Kroto Paul Lauterbur Leon Lederman Bernard Lovell Sophie Petit-Zeman Ingo Potrykus Jack Pridham Simon Singh Jack Steinberger Professor Thomas M Addiscott soil scientist, computer modeller and science writer An outstanding chemistry teacher Dr Suleiman Al-Sabah researcher in molecular pharmacology at the University of Reading Doing something new, seeing something that nobody else has seen before, that 'eureka' moment when the picture comes into focus Dr Roger Armour honorary consultant surgeon, co-director of Ophthalmos, and inventor of the Optyse Lens Free Ophthalmoscope The beauty of living things, and how one might help them when they go wrong John Avise distinguished professor of evolutionary genetics at the University of California in Irvine, member of the National Academy of Sciences, and pioneer of phylogeography The Vietnam War Tipu Aziz professor of neurosurgery at the University of Oxford, founder of Oxford Functional Neurosurgery, and scientific adviser to Pro-Test I was fascinated by the fact that neurosurgical procedures could restore normality in sufferers of in Parkinson’s disease Professor William Bains chief executive of Delta G, lecturer at the University of Cambridge, and scientist/entrepreneur The space programme, especially the moon landings Robert S Baratz president of the National Council Against Health Fraud, and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine The value of science, and the role it can play in solving problems Dr Stephen Barrett board chairman of Quackwatch, and co-founder and vice president of the National Council Against Health Fraud The rapid and amazing strides being made in the understanding and treatment of disease Neil Bartlett emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of California in Berkeley My firsthand experience of my first chemistry laboratory exercise Michael Baum emeritus professor of surgery and visiting professor of medical humanities at University College London, chair of the Psychosocial Oncology Committee at the National Cancer Research Institute, and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Surgery My interest in the natural history of breast cancer Marlene Oscar Berman professor of anatomy and neurobiology, professor of psychiatry and professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, director of the Laboratory of Neuropsychology, and research career scientist at the Department of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System The powerful influence of a mentor relationship upon growth, creativity and development Dr Colin Berry senior lecturer in biochemistry at the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University Good and enthusiastic science teaching at school Sir Colin L Berry emeritus professor of morbid anatomy and histopathology at Queen Mary, University of London, and form member of the Medical Research Council A superb biology teacher Dr Susan J Blackmore visiting lecturer at the University of the West of England in Bristol, and science writer and broadcaster My two biology teachers Dr Sonja A Boehmer-Christiansen reader in geography at the University of Hull, and editor of Energy and Environment Natural curiosity and the desire to argue rather than believe Gustav VR Born research professor at the William Harvey Research Institute, and emeritus professor of pharmacology at King's College London A tradition in my family Anthony D Bradshaw emeritus professor of botany at the University of Liverpool Two very imaginative biology teachers, who expected us to run our own experiments out of school hours Mark Brake professor of science communication at the Centre for Astronomy and Science Education, and director of the SETPOINT Wales, RoCCoTO and South Wales Science Shop projects Science fiction Časlav Brukner associate professor of experimental physics at the University of Vienna, senior researcher at the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information, and chair professor of physics at Tsinghua University in Beijing A form of deep emotional excitement that I experienced when thinking about basic questions Geoffrey Burnstock professor of anatomy at University College London, director of the Autonomic Neuroscience Institute, and editor-in-chief of Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical and Purinergic Signalling The possibility that every day something new could be discovered Michel Cabanac professor of physiology at Laval University in Québec When a scientist reaches a solution, they experience intense joy Dr Philip Campbell editor-in-chief of Nature I designed and built a functioning rocket motor William Chaloner emeritus professor of botany at Royal Holloway, University of London I made electrical circuits and explosives (acetylene bombs were very popular with my contemporaries), distilled alcohol from meths, and made chloroform and ether using a still with a spirit lamp in my bedroom Brian Charlesworth Royal Society research professor at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology An account of gravitation by a teacher at infant school Brian Clegg science writer and consultant A sense of wonder, ignited by a delight in science fiction Professor Peter Cochrane co-founder of ConceptLabs, and former chief technologist at BT Numerous wonderful writers, teachers and professors JMD Coey professor of experimental physics at Trinity College in Dublin The concepts of physics David Colquhoun research professor of pharmacology at University College London, editor of the Improbable Science Page, and pioneer in the understanding of ion channels An interest in how one could distinguish truth from fiction Dr Vincent P Crabtree technical director at Dialog Devices, and researcher at the Photonics Engineering and Health Technology Research Group at Loughborough University My grandfather was affected with a debilitating condition Dr Keith Davies researcher in invertebrate pathology at the Division of Plant Pathogen Interactions at Rothamsted Research, fellow of the Linnean Society of London, and former associate editor of the Journal of Nematology A gifted biology teacher Dr Stuart WG Derbyshire senior lecturer at the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham Our schoolteacher played an excellent trick on us David Deutsch visiting professor of physics at the University of Oxford, researcher at the Centre for Quantum Computation, and pioneer of quantum computation The idea of finding out for myself what the laws of nature are, and how they work Keith J Devlin professor of mathematics at Stanford University, executive director of the Centre for the Study of Language and Information, and executive director of Media X Sputnik 1, the first manmade satellite to be put into orbit Dr Justin Dillon senior lecturer in science and environmental education at King's College London, and secretary of the European Science Education Research Association My childhood was full of astronauts and cosmonauts Dr Tana Dineen psychologist I don't view myself as a scientist, but as someone who respects the limits that science can put on our ignorance Frances Downey programme researcher at Sense About Science My GCSE mathematics teacher Dr K Eric Drexler founder and emeritus chair of the Foresight Nanotech Institute, and inventor of the term 'nanotechnology' The discovery of a wide range of biomolecular machines and devices Jack D Dunitz emeritus professor of chemical crystallography at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich We had a good chemistry teacher, who made chemistry interesting Marcus du Sautoy professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford, senior media fellow at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and presenter of the BBC4 programme Mind Games The effect of a teacher taking a personal interest in me Dr John Emsley chemist and science writer A boyhood fascination with fireworks, which included making my own James E Enstrom research professor and epidemiologist at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Centre at the University of California in Los Angeles Two talented and dedicated teachers at my public high school Craig Fairnington winner of the best individual contribution prize at the National Final of the Debating Matters sixth-form debating competition The world of quantum physics Stanley Feldman emeritus professor of anaesthesiology at Imperial College London I have always enjoyed scientific puzzles Ian Fells emeritus professor of energy conversion at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, principal consultant at Fells Associates, and sometime energy adviser to the European Commission and the European Parliament The rigour of studying physics and chemistry, and carrying out some of the fundamental experiments myself Adam HR Finn professor of paediatrics at the Bristol Institute of Child Life and Health at the University of Bristol Unanswered but answerable questions in medicine Professor Brian J Ford biologist, microscopist and science writer/broadcaster The sudden realisation, when aged about seven, that there was so very much in bioscience that we still didn't know Dr Eliot R Forster vice president of development at Pfizer Global Research and Development The unfolding world of chemistry brought to me by a wizard of teaching Kenneth Freeman Duffield professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the Australian National University in Canberra A very capable and very overworked teacher Dr Harold Gainer senior investigator and chief of the laboratory of neurochemistry at the Molecular Neuroscience Section at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Several faculty members and student peers Thomas Gartrell committee member of Pro-Test, and former president of the Hive The philosophy underlying the enthusiasm of the Victorians Dr Jack E Harris vice-chair of the British Pugwash Group, and former editor of Interdisciplinary Science Reviews Talented colleagues and a benevolent system that encouraged basic research Nick Hayward researcher in the biology of neurodegenerative diseases at the University of Kuopio, member of the Marie Curie Fellowship Association, and recipient of the Intel UK young scientist of the year award Science inspired me to take up science Dr Kerry Hempenstall educational psychologist, senior lecturer in psychology and lecturer in disability studies at RMIT University in Melbourne The educationalist and psychologist Wes Becker Roger Highfield science editor of the Daily Telegraph The shiny, optimistic vision of science in the 1960s Dr Sharon Ann Holgate science writer and broadcaster The Man from UNCLE and a finger puppet Professor John Holman director of the National Science Learning Centre, and co-leader of the national network of Science Learning Centres A dedicated chemistry teacher Piet Hut codirector of the B612 Foundation, cofounder of Ways of Knowing, and professor of interdisciplinary studies at the Institute for Advanced Study Travelling to the edge of the known James B Jack former chartered engineer and principal research officer at British Maritime Technology and Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Innate curiosity David James visiting professor of plant biotechnology at the University of Greenwich, emeritus fellow of Horticulture Research International, and pioneer of transgenic fruit breeding Genetics Nina Japundžić-Žigon professor of pharmacology at the University of Belgrade My interest in science was predefined by my birth, as I was born to and raised by two scientists Professor Zbigniew Jaworowski chair of the Scientific Council at the Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection in Warsaw, and former chair of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation A strong drive for practical activity, and for understanding the world by results of observation and experiment Professor Jonathan DG Jones senior scientist at the Sainsbury Laboratory at the John Innes Centre The Periodic Table of the chemical elements Dr Boris Kotchoubey researcher at the Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology at the University of Tübingen Science combines the most important ideals of humanity – creativity and rationality Sir Harold W Kroto Francis Eppes professor of chemistry at Florida State University in Tallahassee, founder and chair of the Vega Science Trust, and joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in chemistry for the discovery of fullerenes I decided long ago that I would do as many of the things that interested me as possible, to the best of my ability Peter Kuhn life sciences director of the Scripps/Palo Alto Research Centre Institute for Advanced Biomedical Sciences, and associate professor of cell biology at the Scripps Research Institute My mother is a breast cancer survivor Dr Fernand Labrie director of the CHUL Research Centre and head of the Oncology and Molecular Endocrinology Research Centre at Laval University in Québec The desire to understand how living matter works Peter Lane president of the Central Veterinary Society, and veterinary surgeon Science was in my blood Paul C Lauterbur Centre for Advanced Study professor of chemistry, bioengineering, biophysics and computational biology and distinguished university professor of medical information sciences at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries concerning magnetic resonance imaging The world was my inspiration William Graeme Laver former professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University in Canberra All I ever wanted to do was to work in a laboratory and discover new things Leon M Lederman Pritzker professor of science at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, former director of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics for his work on elementary particles and forces Niels Bohr’s opinion of how a hydrogen atom worked, and the measurement of light from an excited hydrogen atom, agreed perfectly William L Ledger professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Sheffield, and head of the Academic Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine Two inspirational biology teachers Dr Peggy G Lemaux cooperative extension specialist in plant biotechnology at the University of California in Berkeley, head of the Lemaux Laboratory, and member of the African Biofortified Sorghum Project I was fascinated by biology Gareth Leng professor of experimental physiology at the Centre for Integrative Physiology at the University of Edinburgh, and former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Neuroendocrinology One of my university lecturers Dr Gilbert V Levin founder of Spherix, developer of Naturlose, and life detection experimenter on the Viking mission to Mars I became interested in biological wastewater processes Norman J Levitt professor of mathematics at Rutgers University in New Jersey In my community, the default assumption was that the route for a smart kid to take led to medicine or science Martin Livermore director of the Scientific Alliance, and principal associate at Ascham Associates Science teaches us to take a sceptical view of the world, and to look for and examine evidence Professor Sir Bernard Lovell founder of the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, recipient of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, and pioneer of radio astronomy A series of evening lectures on the electric spark Dr Mike Ludwig senior neuroendocrinology lecturer at the Centre for Integrative Physiology at the University of Edinburgh Curiosity Jennie Luebke associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology at Boston University School of Medicine Several mentors who appreciated my great enthusiasm for science Dr Mark Lythgoe director of the Biomedical Imaging Centre at University College London, and neurophysiologist and senior lecturer in radiology and physics at the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children I was born to do science Dr Peter Martin lecturer in engineering science at the University of Oxford A desire to make a practical contribution to improving society Dr Jorge Mayer Golden Rice project manager at the Centre for Applied Biosciences Very good teachers John McCarthy emeritus professor of computer science at Stanford University, recipient of the National Medal of Science, and inventor of the term 'artificial intelligence' My parents' Marxism Dr Henry Joy McCracken astronomer at the Paris Observatory and at the Institute of Astrophysics Intense curiosity Fiona McEwen researcher at the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, and veterinary locum Being able to find things out for myself through experimentation and observation Dr Alan McHughen biotechnology specialist and geneticist at the University of California in Riverside An inspirational and encouraging science teacher Dr Christopher P McKay planetary scientist at the Space Science Division at NASA Ames Research Centre, and investigator for the Huygens probe on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan, the Phoenix mission to Mars, and the Mars Science Laboratory The TV series Star Trek Dr Patrick E McSharry Royal Academy of Engineering research fellow at the University of Oxford As a child I was always very questioning, and I wanted to understand how everyday objects worked Dr Mark A Miodownik lecturer in mechanical engineering at King's College London, head of the Materials Group, and director of the Materials Library Questions that had no formulaic answer Dr James W Mold director of research at the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Centre I grew up in a family of scientists Dr Robert M Moor former head of the Protein Technologies Laboratory at the Babraham Institute One of my lecturers invited me to participate in an experiment Enrique Morgado professor of physiology at the University of Chile, and professor of pathophysiology at the University of Santiago Curiosity and the desire to know more Vivian Moses chair of CropGen, director of The Centre for Genetic Anthropology, and visiting professor of biotechnology at King's College London Frogs, worms and other candidates for dissection David Murphy professor of experimental medicine at the Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology at the University of Bristol The nurturing efforts of teachers who challenged me intellectually, and who encouraged merit and excellence Pat Norris chair of the Space Group at the Royal Aeronautical Society, deputy chair of UKspace, and business development manager at LogicaCMG The exceptional quality of my mathematics and science teacher James J O’Brien professor of meteorology and oceanography at the Centre for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies at Florida State University in Tallahassee I fell in love with the atmosphere Paul Parsons editor of BBC Focus magazine, and managing editor of BBC Sky at Night magazine Good science communication Josef Penninger scientific director and senior scientist at the Institute for Molecular Biotechnology A great mentor and teacher David Perks head of physics at Graveney School in London, and deviser of the Debating Matters sixth-form debating competition I was treated by my tutors as if I could make sense of everything they knew about physics Dr Sophie Petit-Zeman writer on health, science and social care Falling in love with my biology teacher when I was 13
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