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74-952: Winners of this Science Writing Award include Nobel Prize winners Charles Townes , Steven Weinberg , and Kip Thorne ; other notable winners include Simon Singh , Neil DeGrasse Tyson , Lawrence Krauss , John Wheeler , Leonard Susskind , Clifford Martin Will , Abraham Pais , Heinz Pagels , Banesh Hoffmann , and Martin Gardner . Marcia Bartusiak has won the award three times, twice for her books (in 2019 and 2001) and once for her journalism (in 1982). 2011: Dan Falk Scientific magazine Could Time End? 2009 - Dan Falk COSMOS magazine End of Days: A Universe in Ruins 2008 - Gino Segre Viking/Penguin Faust in Copenhagen 2007 - James Trefil Astronomy magazine Where

148-444: A slow journalism method that is very time-consuming but contains higher quality information from peer-reviewed sources. They also practice sustainable journalism that focuses on solutions rather than only the problem. Presenting information from both sides of the issue can confuse readers on what the actual findings show. Balanced reporting can actually lead to unbalanced reporting because it gives attention to extreme minority views in

222-526: A 'scientific correspondent' was "A Gale in the Bay of Biscay" by William Crookes which appeared in The Times on 18 January 1871, page 7. Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–1895) and John Tyndall (1820–1893) were scientists who were greatly involved in journalism and Peter Chalmers Mitchell (1864–1945) was Scientific Correspondent for The Times from 1918 to 1935. However it was with James Crowther 's appointment as

296-695: A Star 2011: Vicki Wittenstein Boyds Mills Press "Planet Hunter: Geoff Marcy and the Search for Other Earths" 2010: Gillian Richardson Annick Press Ltd. "Kaboom! Explosions of All Kinds" 2009: Cora Lee and Gillian O'Reilly Annick Press "The Great Number Rumble: A story of Math in Surprising Places" 2008: Alexandra Siy and Dennis Kunkel Charlesbridge "SNEEZE! 2007: Jacob Berkowitz Kids Can Press "Jurassic Poop" Science Writing Science journalism conveys reporting about science to

370-521: A critical eye due to the fact that it combines the necessary tasks of a journalist along with the investigative process of a scientist. Science journalists offer important contributions to the open science movement by using the Value Judgement Principle (VJP). Science journalists are responsible for "identifying and explaining major value judgments for members of the public." In other words, science journalists must make judgments such as what

444-467: A debate over an issue, has had a rather harmful impact on the media coverage of climate science . In 2015, John Bohannon produced a deliberately bad study to see how a low-quality open access publisher and the media would pick up their findings. He worked with a film-maker Peter Onneken who was making a film about junk science in the diet industry with fad diets becoming headline news despite terrible study design and almost no evidence. He invented

518-448: A fake "diet institute" that lacks even a website, used the pen name "Johannes Bohannon" and fabricated a press release. Science journalists keep the public informed of scientific advancements and assess the appropriateness of scientific research. However, this work comes with a set of criticisms. Science journalists regularly come under criticism for misleading reporting of scientific stories. All three groups of scientists, journalists and

592-529: A labor camp. In early 1943, however, the Dutch secretary general of internal affairs, Frederiks, made arrangements for the university Jews to report to Barneveld for their own safety, where they would be housed in a chateau. Pais did not trust that and instead went into hiding. Those who reported to Barneveld were later sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp where most of them did survive. His friend and for

666-404: A large number of issues, which can be obtained anywhere and with relatively limited effort. The web also offers opportunities for citizens to connect with others through social media and other 2.0-type tools to make sense of this information. "After a lot of hand wringing about the newspaper industry about six years ago, I take a more optimistic view these days," said Cristine Russell, president of

740-533: A meeting he had attended in Washington, D.C. , in which Niels Bohr and Enrico Fermi had first made public their news about nuclear fission . Uhlenbeck also announced that he would be leaving in the summer of 1939 for a professorship at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor . In the fall of 1939 Pais dedicated himself to preparing for his master's degree. Utrecht experimental physicist Leonard Salomon Ornstein provided him guidance in his independent physics studies. He

814-472: A newspaper article covering nanotechnology, of whom 7 wrote about the topic more than 25 times. In January 2012, just a week after The Daily Climate reported that worldwide coverage of climate change continued a three-year slide in 2012 and that among the five largest US dailies, the New York Times published the most stories and had the biggest increase in coverage, that newspaper announced that it

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888-400: A scientist or a journalist and transition to science communication. One area in which science journalists seem to support varying sides of an issue is in risk communication. Science journalists may choose to highlight the amount of risk that studies have uncovered while others focus more on the benefits depending on audience and framing. Science journalism in contemporary risk societies leads to

962-491: A scientist, and require that a press secretary listen in on phone conversations between government funded scientists and journalists. Many pharmaceutical marketing representatives have come under fire for offering free meals to doctors in order to promote new drugs. Critics of science journalists have argued that they should disclose whether industry groups have paid for a journalist to travel, or has received free meals or other gifts. Science journalism finds itself under

1036-413: A scientist. This is a positive finding for science journalism because it shows it is increasingly relevant and is relied upon by the public to make informed decisions. "The vast majority of non-specialists obtain almost all their knowledge about science from journalists, who serve as the primary gatekeepers for scientific information." Ethical and accurate reporting by science journalists is vital to keeping

1110-514: A sign of the platform shift by the media outlet. Science information continues to be widely available to the public online. The increase in access to scientific studies and findings causes science journalism to adapt. "In many countries the public's main source of information about science and technology is the mass media." Science journalists must compete for attention with other stories that are perceived as more entertaining. Science information cannot always be sensationalized to capture attention and

1184-612: A three-volume reference collection of articles portraying the scientific and cultural development of modern physics in Twentieth Century Physics ( American Institute of Physics and the Institute of Physics , U.K., 1995). That same year Rockefeller University awarded him the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science . A Tale of Two Continents: A physicist's life in a turbulent world ( Princeton University Press , 1997)

1258-619: A time fiancee Tina Strobos was not Jewish and thus was freer of restrictions and threat of incarceration. She arranged hiding places for Pais and other Jews in Amsterdam. When the Germans began forcing the Dutch Jews into a ghetto in the old Jewish quarter of Amsterdam , his sister Annie and her husband Hermann complied. Tina found them a place to hide, but despite Pais's urgent pleas for them to take advantage of it, they did not think it necessary. Annie

1332-529: A visiting professor at Columbia University in New York City . He left Pais with the use of his laboratory and a list of topics to study and work on. Pais was soon exposed to other prominent Dutch physicists and areas of research in experimental physics. He became well-acquainted with Hendrik Anthony Kramers , a physics professor at Leiden University who lectured at Utrecht twice a week on quantum physics . When Uhlenbeck returned from America, he brought news of

1406-557: A working knowledge of English, French, and German. In the fall of 1935 Pais began his studies at the University of Amsterdam without a clear idea regarding his desired career. With an interest in the exact sciences, he gradually gravitated to chemistry and physics as major subjects, and mathematics and astronomy as minor subjects. In the winter of 1936/1937 his career goals were defined by two guest lectures by George Uhlenbeck , professor of theoretical physics at University of Utrecht . Pais

1480-427: Is good and bad (right and wrong). This is a very significant role because it helps "equip non-specialists to draw on scientific information and make decisions that accord with their own values". While scientific information is often portrayed in quantitative terms and can be interpreted by experts, the audience must ultimately decide how to feel about the information. Most science journalists begin their careers as either

1554-518: Is the Universe Heading? 2006: Simon Singh Harper Collins Big Bang 2005: Neil DeGrasse Tyson Natural History Magazine In the Beginning 2004: Len Fisher Arcade Publishing, Inc. How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of Everyday Life www.lenfisher.co.uk 2003: Ray Jayawardhana Astronomy Magazine Beyond Black 2002: Lawrence Krauss Little, Brown & Co Atom: An Odyssey from

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1628-511: Is to avoid an information deficit model of communication, which assumes a top-down, one-way direction of communicating information that limits an open dialogue between knowledge holders and the public. One such way of sparking an inclusive dialogue between science and society that leads to a broader uptake of post-high school science discoveries is science blogs. Science journalists face an increasing need to convey factually correct information through storytelling techniques in order to tap into both

1702-598: The Detlev W. Bronk professor emeritus. In 1972, Pais was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . In 1979, Pais was awarded the J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Prize . In 1984, Pais was elected to the American Philosophical Society . In the late 1970s Pais became interested in documenting the history of modern physics . He felt he was in a unique position to do so, having known many of

1776-538: The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences . For the next 25 years he worked on elementary particle theory with a primary interest in quantum field theory and symmetry . The technical contributions for which he is recognized include a precise definition of G-parity with Res Jost , and his treatment of SU(6) symmetry breaking . He is primarily associated with two concepts that directly contributed to major breakthroughs in his field. The first

1850-485: The 'scientific correspondent' of The Manchester Guardian by C. P. Scott in 1928 that science journalism really took shape. Crowther related that Scott had declared that there was "no such thing" as science journalism, at which point Crowther replied that he intended to invent it. Scott was convinced and then employed him. Science values detail, precision, the impersonal, the technical, the lasting, facts, numbers and being right. Journalism values brevity, approximation,

1924-466: The 1910 Nobel laureate Johannes Diderik van der Waals ), whom he found dull and averse to the new developments in physics. Pais soon wrote to Uhlenbeck at Utrecht and was granted an interview. During the remainder of the spring term he discontinued attending classes in Amsterdam and made several trips to visit Uhlenbeck in his laboratory. In the fall of 1938 Pais enrolled for graduate classes at University of Utrecht . Uhlenbeck, however, spent that term as

1998-518: The Atom 1992: David C. Cassidy W.H. Freeman & Co. Uncertainty: The Life and Science of Werner Heisenberg 1991: Harold Lewis W.W. Norton & Co. Technological Risk 1990: Bruce Murray W.W. Norton & Co. Journey Into Space 1989: Mark Littmann John Wiley & Sons Planets Beyond: Discovering the Outer Solar System 1988: Michael Riordan Simon & Schuster The Hunting of

2072-573: The Big Bang to Life on Earth...and Beyond Honorable Mention: Ken Croswell The Free Press The Universe at Midnight 2001: Neil de Grasse Tyson , Charles Liu, and Robert Irion Joseph Henry Press One Universe 2000: Charles H. Townes Oxford University Press How the Laser Happened 1999: John Wheeler and Kenneth Ford , W.W. Norton, Geons, Black Holes & Quantum Foam 1998: Leonard Susskind , Scientific American , Black Holes and

2146-739: The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. "The world is online. Science writers today have the opportunity to communicate not just with their audience but globally". Blog-based science reporting is filling in to some degree, but has problems of its own. One of the main findings is about the controversy surrounding climate change and how the media affects people's opinions on this topic. Survey and experimental research have discovered connections between exposure to cable and talk show radio channels and views on global warming. However, early subject analyses noticed that U.S. media outlets over exaggerate

2220-577: The Information Paradox 1997: Award postponed until 1998 1996: Mitchell Begelman & Martin Rees W.H. Freeman & Co. Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe 1995: Eric Chaisson HarperCollins Publishing The Hubble Wars 1994: Kip S. Thorne W.W. Norton & Company Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy 1993: Hans C. von Baeyer Random House Taming

2294-1182: The Language of Nature 1981: Eric Chaisson Little, Brown & Company Cosmic Dawn 1980: William J. Kaufmann, III  [ it ] , W.H. Freeman & Company Black Holes and Warped Spacetime 1979: Hans C. von Baeyer Alumni Gazette, College of William & Mary The Wonder of Gravity 1978: Edwin C. Krupp Doubleday & Company In Search of Ancient Astronomies 1977: Steven Weinberg Basic Books, Inc. The First Three Minutes 1976: Jeremy Bernstein The New Yorker Physicist: I.I. Rabi 1975: Robert H. March Science Year The Quandary Over Quarks 1974: Robert D. Chapman NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center 'Comet Kohoutek 1973: Banesh Hoffmann Viking Press Albert Einstein: Creator and Rebel 1972: Dietrich Schroeer Addison-Wesley Physics & Its Fifth Dimension: Society 1971: Robert H. March MacGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. Physics for Poets 1970: Jeremy Bernstein (written for) Atomic Energy Commission The Elusive Neutrino 1969: Kip S. Thorne Science Year The Death of

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2368-767: The Quark 1987: Clifford Martin Will Basic Books Was Einstein Right? 1986: Donald Goldsmith Walker and Company Nemesis: The Death Star 1985: Edwin C. Krupp Macmillan Publishing Company The Comet and You 1984: George Greenstein Freundlich Books Frozen Star 1983: Abraham Pais Oxford University Press Subtle is the Lord...The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein 1982: Heinz Pagels Simon & Schuster The Cosmic Code: Quantum Physics as

2442-580: The University of Utrecht. On May 8 Pais wrote to Rosenfeld at Liège to ask if he might continue his studies under him if his appointment came through, and again on May 9 to congratulate him on his appointment. On May 10, 1940, the Germans invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, disrupting the mail between Utrecht and Liège for months. After mail service was restored, Pais again wrote to Rosenfeld in Liège. In

2516-474: The controversy alive" in the public arena by demanding that reporters give false balance to the minority side. Very often, such as with climate change , this leaves the public with the impression that disagreement within the scientific community is much greater than it actually is. Science is based on experimental evidence and testing , and disputation is a normal activity. Scholars have criticized science journalists for: Science journalists can be seen as

2590-516: The course of his hiding he kept in touch with the scientific community through visits at his hiding place by Hendrik Anthony Kramers and Lambertus Broer . Jeanne and Trusha had blond hair and blue eyes and ventured out in public as non-Jews, while Lion and Pais hid in the apartment. In March 1945, however, they were betrayed and all four were arrested. The same week the Americans had crossed the Rhine and cut

2664-601: The deadline. His was the last Ph.D. issued to a Dutch Jew until after the war. During his student years Pais had been involved in the Zionist movement , through which he became acquainted with Trusha (Tirtsah) van Amerongen and Tina (Tineke) Strobos , and developed a close friendship with these two women and their families. The Germans began to gradually restrict the activities of the Dutch Jews and in early 1942 required them to wear yellow stars. At first Pais felt safe because his former university status exempted him from being sent to

2738-463: The direction), which was an educational monthly magazine that started publication in 1818 from Srirampore, Bengal, India. Digdarshan carried articles on different aspects of science, such as plants, steam boat, etc. It was available in Bengali, Hindi and English languages. In the U.S., Scientific American was founded in 1845, in another early example. One of the occasions an article was attributed to

2812-457: The dispute that surrounds global warming actually existing. A majority of Americans view global warming as an outlying issue that will essentially affect future generations of individuals in other countries. This is a problem considering that they are getting most of their information from these media sources that are opinionated and not nearly as concerned with supplying facts to their viewers. Research found that after people finish their education,

2886-484: The environment which prompted them to approve the Kyoto Protocol , which works to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, while the U.S., the world's largest creator of carbon dioxide, has not done so. The content of news stories regarding climate change are affected by journalistic norms including balance, impartiality , neutrality and objectivity. Balanced reporting, which involves giving equal time to each opposing side of

2960-526: The evidence for global warming and think that it's caused by humans, while not many Republicans believe this. Democrats and liberals have higher and more steady trust in scientists, while conservative Republicans' trust in scientists has been declining. However, in the United Kingdom, mass media do not have nearly the impact on people's opinions as in the United States. They have a different attitude towards

3034-610: The five-dimensional space known as projective relativity theory, and then to use this theory to calculate the probability for the disintegration of deuterons when irradiated by energetic photons. Pais set to work studying projective relativity, meson theories, and nuclear physics related to the deuteron. In November 1940 the German authorities issued a decree banning Jews from all civil service positions, including academic posts. Pais therefore lost his assistant professorship, though Rosenfeld secretly arranged for his successor to unofficially share

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3108-487: The gatekeepers of scientific information. Just like traditional journalists, science journalists are responsible for what truths reach the public. Scientific information is often costly to access. This is counterproductive to the goals of science journalism. Open science , a movement for "free availability and usability of scholarly publications," seeks to counteract the accessibility issues of valuable scientific information. Freely accessible scientific journals will decrease

3182-569: The institutionalisation of mediated scientific public spheres which exclusively discuss science and technology related issues. This also leads to the development of new professional relationship between scientists and journalists, which is mutually beneficial. There are many different examples of science writing. A few examples include feature writing , risk communication , blogs , science books , scientific journals , science podcasts and science magazines . Abraham Pais Abraham Pais ( / p eɪ s / ; May 19, 1918 – July 28, 2000)

3256-597: The key people and with his knowledge of the language, culture, and science. Pais was perhaps best known for his biography of Albert Einstein , Subtle is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein , and its companion volume, Einstein Lived Here (Clarendon Press/Oxford University Press, 1994). Subtle is the Lord won the 1983 U.S. National Book Award in Science. His Inward Bound: Of matter and forces in

3330-506: The meantime Pais had been appointed as Rosenfeld's assistant — Kees van Lier, who had been Uhlenbeck's assistant and was to continue as such under Rosenfeld, had committed suicide following the German invasion. Rosenfeld approved of his appointment and arrived at Utrecht in September 1940 and Pais began working on his doctoral dissertation. Rosenfeld proposed that for his thesis Pais should formulate Rosenfeld and Møller's meson theory in terms of

3404-504: The media and the political class has said, that the science is settled." The public benefits from an authoritative reporting style in guiding them to make informed decisions about their lifestyle and health. Tracking the remaining experienced science journalists is becoming increasingly difficult. For example, in Australia, the number of science journalists has decreased to abysmal numbers: "you need less than one hand to count them." Due to

3478-496: The media becomes the most significant, and for many individuals, the sole source of information regarding science, scientific findings and scientific processes. Many people fail to realize that information about science included from online sources is not always credible. Since the 1980s, climate science and mass media have transformed into an increasingly politicized sphere. In the United States, Conservatives and Liberals understand global warming differently. Democrats often accept

3552-497: The people on the street?" can often help a science journalist develop material that is useful for the intended audience. With budget cuts at major newspapers and other media, there are fewer working science journalists employed by traditional print and broadcast media than before. Similarly, there are currently very few journalists in traditional media outlets that write multiple articles on emerging science, such as nanotechnology . In 2011, there were 459 journalists who had written

3626-405: The personal, the colloquial, the immediate, stories, words and being right now. There are going to be tensions. The aim of a science journalist is to render very detailed, specific, and often jargon -laden information produced by scientists into a form that non-scientists can understand and appreciate while still communicating the information accurately. One way science journalism can achieve that

3700-458: The physical world ( Clarendon Press /Oxford University Press, 1988) describes the events in physics during the preceding 100 years, and tries to explain why they happened as they did. In 1991 he published Niels Bohr's Times: In physics, philosophy, and polity (Clarendon Press/Oxford University Press, 1991) which describes the life and scientific contributions of Bohr. In 1995 he teamed with Laurie M. Brown and Sir Brian Pippard to compile

3774-478: The public informed. Science journalism is reported differently than traditional journalism . Conventionally, journalism is seen as more ethical if it is balanced reporting and includes information from both sides of an issue. Science journalism has moved to an authoritative type of reporting where they present information based on peer reviewed evidence and either ignore the conflicting side or point out their lack of evidence. Science journalism continues to adapt to

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3848-405: The public is not as interested in news written by a scientist and would rather receive news stories that are written by general reporters instead. The results of a study conducted comparing public interest between news stories written by scientists and stories written by reporters concluded there is no significant difference. The public was equally interested in news stories written by a reporter and

3922-471: The public often criticize science journalism for bias and inaccuracies. However, with the increasing collaborations online between science journalists there may be potential with removing inaccuracies. The 2010 book Merchants of Doubt by historians of science Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway argues that in topics like the global warming controversy , tobacco smoking , acid rain , DDT and ozone depletion , contrarian scientists have sought to "keep

3996-463: The public's reliance on potentially biased popular media for scientific information. Many science magazines , along with Newspapers like The New York Times and popular science shows like PBS Nova tailor their content to relatively highly educated audiences. Many universities and research institutions focus much of their media outreach efforts on coverage in such outlets. Some government departments require journalists to gain clearance to interview

4070-415: The public. The field typically involves interactions between scientists , journalists and the public. Modern science journalism originated in weather and other natural history observations, as well as reports of new scientific findings, reported by almanacs and other news writing in the centuries following the advent of the printing press. One early example dates back to Digdarshan (means showing

4144-471: The rail lines, making impossible their transfer to a concentration camp. The women were soon released. After a month of interrogation by the Gestapo, Pais was released several days before the end of the war. Nordheim was executed ten days before the end of the war. During World War II, Pais's doctoral dissertation had attracted the attention of Niels Bohr , who invited him to come to Denmark as his assistant. Pais

4218-402: The rapidly decreasing number of science journalists, experiments on ways to improve science journalism are also rare. However, in one of the few experiments conducted with science journalists, when the remaining population of science journalists networked online, they produced more accurate articles than when in isolation. New communication environments provide essentially unlimited information on

4292-465: The rational and emotional side of their audiences, the latter of which to some extent ensuring that the information uptake persists. Science journalists often have training in the scientific disciplines that they cover. Some have earned a degree in a scientific field before becoming journalists or exhibited talent in writing about science subjects. However, good preparation for interviews and even deceptively simple questions such as "What does this mean to

4366-484: The responsibilities and salary of the position with Pais. Professor Leonard Ornstein, however, lost his directorship of and access to the laboratory and died a broken man on May 20, 1941. A subsequent German decree ordered that doctorate degrees could not be issued to Jews after June 14, 1941. Pais worked feverishly to complete his dissertation and meet other requirements for his doctorate. He obtained his doctoral degree in theoretical physics on June 9, just five days before

4440-514: The science community, implying that both sides have an equal number of supporters. It can give the false impression that an opposing minority viewpoint is valid. For example, a 2019 survey of scientists' views on climate change yielded a 100% consensus that global warming is human-caused. However, articles like "Climate Change: A Scientist and Skeptic Exchange Viewpoints," published by Divided We Fall in 2018, may unintentionally foster doubt in readers, as this particular scientist "did not say, as

4514-497: The sheer amount of available information can cause important findings to be buried. The general public does not typically search for science information unless it is mentioned or discussed in mainstream media first. However, the mass media are the most important or only source of scientific information for people after completing their education. A common misconception about public interest surrounds science journalism. Those who choose which news stories are important typically assume

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4588-513: Was a Dutch - American physicist and science historian . Pais earned his Ph.D. from University of Utrecht just prior to a Nazi ban on Jewish participation in Dutch universities during World War II . When the Nazis began the forced relocation of Dutch Jews , he went into hiding, but was later arrested and saved only by the end of the war. He then served as an assistant to Niels Bohr in Denmark and

4662-463: Was also influenced then by discussions with Léon Rosenfeld of the University of Liège , who was invited to Utrecht to give a colloquium in an effort to find a successor for Uhlenbeck and reported on the work he was then doing with Christian Møller on the meson theory of nuclear forces. Pais successfully passed the examination for his master's degree on April 22, 1940. On May 7 the Dutch minister of education appointed Rosenfeld to succeed Uhlenbeck at

4736-511: Was born on November 1, 1920. During Pais's childhood his father was a principal of both a secular school and a Hebrew school . Pais was a bright student and a voracious reader during his early education and said he had a happy childhood and felt integrated in Dutch society. At age twelve he passed examinations to enter a Hogere Burgerschool and attended a school in Amsterdam with a five-year curriculum of basic subjects. He passed his final examinations as number one in his class. He graduated with

4810-470: Was dismantling its environmental desk and merging its journalists with other departments. News coverage on science by traditional media outlets, such as newspapers, magazines, radio and news broadcasts is being replaced by online sources. In April 2012, the New York Times was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes for content published by Politico and The Huffington Post (now HuffPost ) both online sources,

4884-490: Was experimentally confirmed in the following year by Lederman and collaborators. In 1956, Pais became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Pais was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1962. In 1963 Pais accepted a position at Rockefeller University to head the theoretical physics group while Rockefeller was in transition from being a medical institute to a university. He finished his career there as

4958-499: Was fascinated by Uhlenbeck's discussion of Enrico Fermi 's incorporation of the neutrino into the theory of beta radiation . On February 16, 1938, Pais was awarded two Bachelor of Science degrees in physics and mathematics, with minors in chemistry and astronomy. He began attending graduate courses in Amsterdam, including those in physics. He soon became disappointed by the only professor there in theoretical physics, Johannes Diderik van der Waals Jr.  [ nl ] (the son of

5032-454: Was forced into hiding before he could leave the Netherlands. In 1946, following the war, Pais was able to accept that invitation and served as a personal assistant to Bohr at his country home in Tisvilde for a year. In 1947 he accepted a position at the Institute for Advanced Study in the United States and thus became a colleague of Albert Einstein . In 1949 he became corresponding member of

5106-577: Was his autobiography. It refers to the ' esemplastic power of the imagination '. His book The Genius of Science: A portrait gallery (Oxford University Press, 2000) contains biographies of seventeen distinguished physicists he had known personally: Niels Bohr , Max Born , Paul Dirac , Albert Einstein , Mitchell Feigenbaum , Res Jost , Oskar Klein , Hans Kramers , Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen Ning Yang , John von Neumann , Wolfgang Pauli , Isidor Isaac Rabi , Robert Serber , George Uhlenbeck , Victor Frederick Weisskopf , and Eugene Wigner . Pais

5180-543: Was later a colleague of Albert Einstein at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey . Pais wrote books documenting the lives of these two great physicists and the contributions they and others made to modern physics . He was a physics professor at Rockefeller University until his retirement. Pais was born in Amsterdam , the first child of middle-class Dutch-Jewish parents. His father, Isaiah "Jacques" Pais,

5254-470: Was later killed at the Sobibór extermination camp . Tina had found refuge for Pais's parents on a farm outside Amsterdam where they survived the war. She also acted as a courier between Pais and his parents during the war, though neither knew of the other's specific location. His last hiding place was in an apartment with his university friend Lion Nordheim, his wife Jeanne, and her sister Trusha van Amerongen. In

5328-462: Was the descendant of Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Portugal to the Low Countries around the beginning of the 17th century. His mother, Kaatje "Cato" van Kleeff, was the daughter of an Ashkenazi Jewish diamond cutter. His parents met while studying to become elementary-school teachers. They both taught school until his mother quit when they married on December 2, 1916. His only sibling, Annie,

5402-424: Was the idea of "associated production" to explain the puzzling properties of strange particles . His ideas and those of Murray Gell-Mann resulted in the idea of a quantum number called strangeness . The second concept was Pais's and Gell-Mann's theory regarding the composition of the neutral kaons , proposing that the observed states were admixtures of particles and antiparticles, having different lifetimes; this

5476-580: Was working on a biography of Robert Oppenheimer at the time of his death. (Pais was a colleague of Oppenheimer's at the Institute for Advanced Studies.) The biography was finished by Robert P. Crease and published posthumously as J. Robert Oppenheimer: A Life (Oxford University Press, 2006). The American Physical Society has awarded an Abraham Pais Prize for History of Physics annually since 2005. After his retirement Pais and his third wife Ida Nicolaisen spent half their time in Denmark where he worked at

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