Abstract
In the 20th century, innovative scientists made many contributions to our society and well-being, as well as expanded our basic understanding of natural phenomena. Children today study the structure and function of cells, DNA, and the atom using computer simulations and videos at home and at school. In this chapter, we focus on the life histories and accomplishments of three 20th century Nobel Prize-winning scientists to gain an understanding of the factors that may have influenced their interest in science and unlocked their creative potential. In particular, we examine the lives and creative achievements of Luis Walter Alvarez, Barbara McClintock, and Peter Mitchell.
Access provided by Autonomous University of Puebla. Download to read the full chapter text
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
References
Alvarez, L. W. (1987). Alvarez: Adventures of a physicist. New York, NY: Basic Books, Inc.
Bickmore, B. R. (2010). Creativity in science: How scientists decide what to study. Retrieved from http://www.visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?mid=182
Comfort, N. (2008). Rebellion and iconoclasm in the life and science of Barbara McClintock. In O. Harman & M. Dietrich (Eds.), Rebels, mavericks, and heretics in biology (pp. 137–153). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Davis, G. A. (2003). Identifying creative students, teaching for creative growth. In N. Colangelo & G. A. Davis (Eds.), Handbook of gifted education (pp. 311–324). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Deboer, G. E. (1991). A history of ideas in science education: Implications for practice. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Dewey, J. (1938). Education and experience. New York, NY: Collier Books.
Epstein, R. (1996). Capturing creativity. Psychology Today, 29(4), 41–43.
Gagné, F. (1985). Giftedness and talent: Reexamining a reexamination of the definitions. Gifted Child Quarterly, 29, 103 –112.
Kass, L. (2003). Records and recollections: A new look at Barbara McClintock, nobel-prize winning geneticist. Genetics, 164, 1251 –1260.
Keller, E. (1983). A feeling for the organism: The life and work of Barbara McClintock. New York, NY: W.H. Freeman and Company.
Lederman, N., Abd-El-Khalick, F., Bell, R. L., & Schwartz, R. S. (2002). View of nature of science questionnaire: Toward valid and meaningful assessment of learners’ conceptions of nature of science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39(6), 497–521.
Martínez, J. R. (2011). The adventures of Luis Alvarez: Identity politics in the making of an American science. Retrieved from http://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/ETDUT-2011-12-4485/MARTINEZ-DISSERTATION.pdf?sequence=1
McClintock, B. (1927). A cytological and genetical study of triploid maize (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
McClintock, B. (1961). Some parallels between gene control systems in maize and bacteria. American Naturalist, 95, 265–277.
McClintock, B. (1987). The discovery and characterization of transposable elements. New York, NY: Garland Publishing.
Nobel Media AB. (2014). Barbara McClintock-Biographical. Nobel Prize.org. Retrieved from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1983/mcclintock-bio.html
Perkins, D. (1992). Neurospora chromosomes. In N. Federoff & D. Botstein (Eds.), The dynamic genome: Barbara McClintock’s ideas in the century of genetics (pp. 33–44). Cold Spring Harbor, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.
Prebble, J., & Weber, D. (2003). Wandering in the gardens of the mind: Peter Mitchell and the making of Glynn. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Randolph, L., & McClintock, B. (1926). Polyploidy in Zea mays. American Naturalist, 60, 99–102.
Renzulli, J. S. (1978). What makes giftedness? Re-examining a definition. Phi Delta Kappa, 60, 180–181.
Simonton, D. (2003). When does giftedness become genius? An when not? In N. Colangelo & G. A. Davis (Eds.), Handbook of gifted education (3rd ed., pp. 358–370). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Sternberg, R. J. (1985). Beyond IQ: A triarchic theory of intelligence. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Sternberg, R. J. (2003). Giftedness according to the theory of successful intelligence. In N. Colangelo & G. A. Davis (Eds.), Handbook of gifted education (pp. 311–324). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Sternberg, R. J., & Lubart, T. I. (1998). The concept of creativity: Prospects and paradigms. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of creativity (pp. 3–15). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Trower, P. W. (2009). Luis Walter Alvarez: 1911–1988. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences.
Whol, C. G. (2007). Scientists as detective: Luis Alvarez and the pyramid burial chambers, the JFK assassination, and the end of the dinosaurs. American Journal of Physics, 75(11), 968–977.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Sense Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gaines, T., Mesa, J., Pecore, J.L. (2016). Twentieth Century Scientists Who Exemplify the Interplay of Creativity and Giftedness. In: Demetrikopoulos, M.K., Pecore, J.L. (eds) Interplay of Creativity and Giftedness in Science. Advances in Creativity and Giftedness. SensePublishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-163-2_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-163-2_3
Publisher Name: SensePublishers, Rotterdam
Online ISBN: 978-94-6300-163-2
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)