"I Am The Smartest Man I Know": A Nobel Laureate's Difficult Journey

A Nobel Laureate's Difficult Journey

Ivar Giaever

• Publisher: World Scientific
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9789813109193
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Physics
• Index: Physics

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A unique individual with a fascinating life story, Ivar Giaever is a scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Experimental Physics in 1973. In his own words, Giaever relates an absorbing tale of how important luck and good fortune have been in shaping his life. He narrates the story of an ordinary childhood in Norway and an unremarkable undergraduate career at university. After finishing his engineering degree, he served in the Norwegian army and married his childhood sweetheart, Inger Skramstad. His desire to make a better life for his new family led Ivar to Canada and then to the United States. Even without an advanced degree in a scientific field, Ivar was given the opportunity to work with cutting-edge scientific researchers at General Electric R&D in Schenectady, New York. While there, he completed his PhD at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute — one of the United States' oldest technological universities. His work on superconductivity led to worldwide recognition and the Nobel Prize. This memoire is more than the story of an accomplished, world-renowned scientist: it is an engaging reminiscence of an independent, highly creative thinker and problem solver who loves games and puzzles, skiing and windsurfing, and time with friends and family. Dr Ivar Giaever's fascinating story intertwines his views on the nature of science, scientific processes, contemporary issues such as global warming, and the great benefits the Nobel Prize has afforded him. Written with humor and often tongue-in-cheek, "I am the Smartest Man I know" is one man's meditation on science, intellectual inquiry, and life itself.

--> Contents:

• Introduction
• Growing up in Norway
• The German Occupation
• Attending University (NTH)
• Adulthood in Norway
• Emigration to Canada
• Emigration to the USA
• Norwegian Vacation
• GE Research Laboratory
• Friends at Laboratory
• My Trip to Moscow
• More Research
• Sabbatical Leave in England
• Back in the USA
• Receiving the Nobel Prize
• My First Trip to China
• Working in Biology
• Coolidge Fellowship
• Back at GE
• University of Oslo
• Applied Biophysics
• Korea
• Lindau
• Sports as an Adult
• In Business
• Today

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Readership: Students and the general public interested in science and entrepreneurship.
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Table of contents

• Contents
• Chapter 1 Introduction
• Chapter 2 Growing up in Norway
• Chapter 3 The German Occupation
• Chapter 4 Attending University (NTH)
• Chapter 5 Adulthood in Norway
• Chapter 6 Emigration to Canada
• Chapter 7 Emigration to the USA
• Chapter 8 Norwegian Vacation
• Chapter 9 GE Research Laboratory
• Chapter 10 Friends at Laboratory
• Chapter 11 My Trip to Moscow
• Chapter 12 More Research
• Chapter 13 Sabbatical Leave in England
• Chapter 14 Back in the USA
• Chapter 15 Receiving the Nobel Prize
• Chapter 16 My First Trip to China
• Chapter 17 Working in Biology
• Chapter 18 Coolidge Fellowship
• Chapter 19 Back at GE
• Chapter 20 University of Oslo
• Chapter 21 Applied Biophysics
• Chapter 22 Korea
• Chapter 23 Lindau
• Chapter 24 Sports as an Adult
• Chapter 25 In Business
• Chapter 26 Today
• Epilogue