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What's genius? outline it. Now, reflect on scientists who include the idea that of genius. Does the identify John Bardeen come to mind? certainly, have you heard of him? Like a lot in smooth existence, speedy identify reputation frequently rests on a cult of character. we all know Einstein, for instance, not only for his super contributions to technological know-how, but in addition simply because he used to be a personality, who enjoyed to mug for the digital camera. And, our carrying on with fascination with Richard Feynman isn't really solely in accordance with his physique of labor; it truly is in huge degree tied to his flamboyant nature and offbeat humorousness. those males, and their outsize personalities, have come to erroneously represent the genuine nature of genius and creativity. We photograph them born great, immediately better than existence. yet, is that a correct photograph of genius? What of others who're equivalent in stature to those icons of technology, yet whom heritage has offered just a nod simply because they didn't quite simply interact the general public? might anyone qualify as a bona fide genius if he was once a typical Joe? the reply might leisure within the tale of John Bardeen. John Bardeen used to be the 1st individual to were provided Nobel Prizes within the related box. He shared one with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for the discovery of the transistor. yet, it used to be the charismatic Shockley who garnered the entire cognizance, essentially for his Hollywood methods and infamous perspectives on race and intelligence. Bardeen's moment Nobel Prize was once presented for the advance of a idea of superconductivity, a feat that had eluded the easiest efforts of major theorists, together with Albert Einstein, Neils Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, and Richard Feynman. Arguably, Bardeen's paintings replaced the area in additional methods than that of the other medical genius of his time. but, whereas each institution baby is familiar with of Einstein, few humans have heard of John Bardeen. Why is that this the case? possibly simply because Bardeen differs extensively from the preferred stereotype of genius. He was once a modest, mumbling Midwesterner, a regular one who labored tough and had a knack for physics and arithmetic. He cherished to picnic along with his family members, collaborate quietly with colleagues, or play a around of golfing. None of that was once newsworthy, so the media, and accordingly the general public, missed him. John Bardeen easily matches a brand new profile of genius. via an exploration of his technology, in addition to his existence, a clean and punctiliously attractive portrait of genius and the character of creativity emerges. this attitude can have readers having a look anew at what it actually ability to be a genius.
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Extra info for True Genius: The Life and Science of John Bardeen
Example text
In May 1907 the family moved into a small house set idyllically on Mendota Court, a few doors down from Lake Mendota. 18 TRUE GENIUS From the fraternity house docks along the irregular shore it was easy to spot Picnic Point to the west, past the campus. Charles’s office on campus was a short walk away. On May 23, 1908, barely two years after William’s arrival, Althea and Charles had a second child, a ten-pound boy, they named John. He soon became the focus of the entire household; Charles developed a special attachment to him.
Osterhoudt struck a bargain at $160. As it turned out, Dutch and John hardly saw each other at work. “Johnny worked in magnetics in a small room at the rear side of the laboratory building. ” Soon Osterhoudt was spending most of his time prospecting for oil in faraway places. But the two friends often had a beer together when Osterhoudt came in from the field. In his third year at Gulf, Bardeen again found himself at a crossroads. ” The subject had never captured his interest as fully as mathematics or theoretical physics.
Charles pulled as many strings as he could in the medical community, but the discussions of his wife’s condition with colleagues only underscored the fact that, as yet, medicine could offer little in the way of treatment to cancer patients. The best medical expertise of the time amounted to little more than bold incisions to remove surface and breast cancers and the cautious use of X rays in treatment. Hormonal treatment, chemotherapy, mammograms, pap smears, and fiber optics did not yet exist.