UK schoolboy corrects Nasa data error http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39351833 A British teenager has contacted scientists at Nasa to point out an error in a set of their own data. A-level student Miles Soloman found that radiation sensors on the International Space Station (ISS) were recording false data. The 17-year-old from Tapton school in Sheffield said it was "pretty cool" to email the space agency. The correction was said to be "appreciated" by Nasa, which invited him to help analyse the problem. "What we got given was a lot of spreadsheets, which is a lot more interesting than it sounds," Miles told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme. The research was part of the TimPix project from the Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS), which gives students across the UK the chance to work on data from the space station, looking for anomalies and patterns that might lead to further discoveries. During UK astronaut Tim Peake's stay on the station, detectors began recording the radiation levels on the ISS. (More at above url)
I always wonder about kids like this, do they end up living up to all the potential they have once they become adults.
Most of the great minds in science that I've had the pleasure to interact with were doing stuff like this when they were younger. That doesn't necessarily mean the converse is true. Also, for this young man reaching his full potential probably means he ends up as a brilliant guy doing groundbreaking research that almost no-one outside his immediate field will know about, so the definition of success may vary from what most here hold.
This is true... most people will die thinking Neil Degrasse Tyson is the voice of a generation yet he's probably average tier researcher among colleagues.
Or worse, they'll die thinking Bill Nye the science guy is the voice of a generation. The guy doesn't even have a degree in science. He's a guy that got his degree in Mechanical engineering in the 70s and quit to be an writer/actor. Wasn't even HIS idea to be a science guy...the host of the show he worked at came up with the idea of having a science guy do stuff on the show. Yet most people think he's some super genius Einstein type, but really no different than an actor like Leonardo DiCaprio.
Personally, I would definitely consider this a story of success, if he does end up doing that. By reaching their potential I meant using their intelligence fully for the sake of science, I can't think of a better success story than that.
Amateur stargazer and Darwin mechanic, Andrew Grey, with his telescopes at his workplace, Darwin Motor Group . Picture: MICHAEL FRANCHI http://www.abc.net.au/radionational...s-find-solar-system-with-four-planets/8424412 Stargazing Live viewers find solar system with four planets Listen now Download audio Friday 7 April 2017
This guy's probably a gearhead (that's a term of endearment for me) and enjoys working on cars as much as astrophysics, but wow, I'm guessing more than a few world class telescopes would want him turning wrenches on their gear instead of working in a garage!
Would it be true that when " with four planets crammed together, ", there should be Many more other planets that surrounds the solar, awaiting to be found, theoretically?
That just shows you don't know much about science. Engineers are most definitely scientists and a whole lot of them conduct groundbreaking research on equal footing with physicists, chemists, and mathematicians.