[sotd] February 23, 2005 [Great Amateurs in Science]

        Site of the Day for Wednesday, February 23, 2005

        Great Amateurs in Science

Today's site, part of the American Public Broadcasting System's "Nova"
series, offers a presentation on the often overlooked contributions to
science of the gifted and passionate amateur. Gentle Subscribers will find
an informative survey of some of the men and women whose lack of formal
scientific background proved no bar to their soaring achievements.

"[T]hey have no formal training. They are often ignored by those who do. In
some cases they don't live to see the scientific recognition they so richly
deserve. Who are they? They are the nonprofessional scientists who every
now and then make their professional counterparts green with envy for the
enormous contributions they make to their discipline. Here, in no
particular order, meet ten amateur scientists who secured such an enviable
place in the history of science." - from the website

The web page covers not only the expected historical figures of Michael
Faraday, Joseph Priestly and Gregor Mendel but modern day amateurs as well.
A brief discussion on the discovery of the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil
skeleton, known as "Tyrannosaurus Sue", reveals the story of the amateur
scientist responsible for its find. Other outstanding scientists include an
amateur bacteriologist, the inventor of the radio telescope and a now
famous astronomer.

Glide over to the web page for a fascinating look at the stellar work of
these amateur scientists at: 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/orchid/amateurs.html


  A.M. Holm
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