Inspiration doesn’t play by set rules. It can come from anywhere and strike when least expected. A first hint of big ideas can hang in the recesses of the mind and push people forward in a roundabout way.
Our SN 10: List of Scientists to Watch is a brief study in inspiration. For the seventh year, Science News features 10 early and mid-career scientists who are driven by curiosity and wonder, and are moving to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Each makes a mark in the chosen field. Inspired by the beauty he saw in videos of developing embryos during middle school science class, Marcos Simões-Costa sought to understand how cells differentiate during development. This is the starry sky in Scotland that encouraged planetary scientist Robin Wordsworth to study if and how life can survive in other places in the cosmos. And for Jacky Austermann, his love of mathematics and the outdoors led him to physics, then the inner Earth – and eventually climate change.
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Every year we seek SN 10 nominations from Nobel laureates, members of the National Academy of Sciences and SN 10 past scientists. This year’s name comes from famous people, and then some. For the first time, we open nominations to other scientists and the wider community, expanding the breadth of our list. This leads to another impressive body – many of them are also organized in inspiring others.
Biological anthropologist Tina Lasisi, who studies the evolution of human variation, hosts the PBS Digital Studios show and is a popular voice on TikTok. She wants to inspire people of color to ask important questions for them. “Research is me-search,” he said. Neutrino physicist Carlos Argüelles-Delgado likes to support physics students who don’t have role models like them. “It’s about not giving up, right?” Arguelles says. Environmental engineer Smruthi Karthikeyan drew primary school students into the business of tracking the coronavirus by naming a robot that collects wastewater.
There are many sparks for new ideas in the story of this scientist. We hope they will inspire you, too. – Elizabeth Quill
Want to nominate someone for the next SN 10 list? Send their name, affiliation and a few sentences about them and their work to sn10@sciencenews.org.
