This web page design was a collaborative effort of the HHMS Science Department. Please enjoy learning about our favorite scientists and the IB Learner Profiles that they embody.

Mrs. Bell, Mr. Carmack, Mrs. Ripley, Mrs. McCraney, Mrs. Milton, Mrs. Locicero, Mrs. Abram, Mrs. Triche, Mrs. Perrone

Thinker

Charles Darwin embodies the attribute of a thinker because he formulated his bold theory in private in 1837–39, after returning from a voyage around the world aboard HMS Beagle, but it was not until after two decades of deep thought that he finally gave it full public expression in On the Origin of Species (1859), a book that has deeply influenced modern Western society and thought.

"My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts."

- Charles Darwin

Knowledgeable

Creola 'Katherine' Johnson was an American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights. The space agency noted her "historical role as one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist". She earned a reputation for mastering complex manual calculations and helped pioneer the use of computers to perform the tasks.

Demonstrating her IB profile learning attribute of being Knowledgeable, Mrs. Johnson developed and used her conceptual understanding of mathematics across the discipline of aeronautics and computer technology with a major impact both locally and globally.

"I like to learn. That's an art and a science."

- Katherine Johnson

Caring

Dian Fossey is the woman who gave her life to save the gorillas. Her caring nature is displayed in her work as the leading primatologist and conservationist of her time. She extensively studied the the mountain gorilla groups of Rwanda - bringing them back from the brink of extinction.

“When you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future.”

- Dian Fossey

Inquirer

Galileo was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer. He changed scientific thinking through astronomical exploration. Galileo has been called the "father of observational astronomy", the "father of modern physics", the "father of the scientific method", and the "father of modern science". His major achievement was improving the telescope and using it to make observations about the planets and stars, including supporting Copernicus' revolutionary idea that the Earth revolved around the Sun. Inquiry is a dynamic process of being open to wonder, puzzlement, coming to know, and understand the world.

"You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself."

- Galileo Galilei

Risk Taker

Barbara McClintock was a geneticist who was ahead of her time. She had a brilliant mind and many of her male colleagues were intimidated by her. Most of her work was done in a time when genetics as a discipline had not yet received general acceptance. McClintock was reluctant to share her research on "jumping genes" with here peers because she knew that her research would be met with opposition. However, she did publish her work, and as a result, she received a Nobel Prize in Medicine 1983.

"If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off... no matter what they say."

- Barbara McClintock

Reflective

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, cosmologist, planetary scientist, author, and science communicator. Since 1996, he has been the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City. He has many books, essays and blogs. He demonstrates the reflective attribute most famously in his "Most Astounding Fact" where he explains that not only are we a part of the universe but the universe is a part of us.

"The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. "

- Neil deGrasse Tyson

Balanced

Leonardo Da Vinci was an artist, inventor, and polymath.

He applied scientific learning to develop artistic perspectives. The influences of his master are evident in the remarkable vitality and anatomical correctness of the Leonardo paintings and drawings.

"Nature never breaks her own laws."

- Leonardo Da vinci

Principled

Rachel Carson was a biologist who worked diligently to uncover the harmful effects of pesticides and advocate for safer agricultural products. Her book, Silent Spring, brought mass awareness to the issues being created by DDT and other pesticides in the environment and in public health. Carson's work demonstrated principality by encouraging Americans to do what is right in choosing more environmentally friendly products.

"The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction. "

- Rachel Carson

Communicator

Over a short time period of five years, Bill Nye was the host of "Bill Nye: The Science Guy" with the goal of communicating to an audience of preteens. Within his time as the host of the show, 100 different episodes aired demonstrating experiments, their outcomes, and how to properly [and not properly] perform experiments. He also received seven Emmy Awards for writing, performing, and producing. Many would agree that Nye is extremely effective with communicating to his prospective audience.

"The information you get from social media is not a substitute for academic discipline at all. "

- Bill Nye

Open-Minded

Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, which is one of the main pillars of physics today. Einstein marched to the beat of his own drum and that led to many groundbreaking scientific discoveries, such as the Quantum Theory of Light. Due to his open-mindedness and great discoveries he is still relative to the science world today.

“Once you stop learning, you start dying”

- Albert Einstein

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