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Brian Schmidt by Markus Pössel –

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Professor Brian Schmidt

Professor Brian Schmidt is an Australian astronomer, who in 2009 received the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of dark energy. He was born on 4th December 1966 in Canberra, Australia to Bill and Joan Schmidt.

He studied at Stonington High School and went on to obtain a degree from the University of Melbourne before going on to complete a doctorate at Monash University. He received his PhD in 1996, and started working at the Australian Astronomical Observatory.

 In 2008 he became the director of the Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Physics, based at The University of Texas at Austin. The centre aims to advance gravitational research through joint university efforts in Texas and around the world.

He also held a visiting professorship at Monash University in 2010. In 2009 he was elected as a fellow of both the American Physical Society and Royal Society. Here are some interesting facts about him, starting off with something very unexpected. 

1.He’s an Author

Brian Schmidt is the author of two books, both of which were published in 2012. First was The Universe Explained which was written to help people understand the Astronomy behind black holes and dark energy. His second book, Light of the Stars published in 2016 tells the story of how stars evolved as we now see them, by tracing their beginnings and providing descriptions of what they look like today.

2.Brian Schmidt Likes Reading

Keynote Presentation of Brian Schmidt by  dingram_kiwi-

Brian Schmidt is an avid reader, in fact he prefers it overseeing. He’s a fan of crime novels and mystery novels, as he feels they are especially interesting to read. He also enjoys reading sci-fi and fantasy books, including the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling and The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein, as well as medieval romances. As such he’s not short on recommendations when it comes to what to read.

3.Schmidt Became a Full Professor at the Australian National University in 1995

Brian Schmidt by Tim Wetherell –

Schmidt became a full professor at the Australian National University in 1995. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Princeton University and a Visiting Research Fellow at Aarhus University in Denmark. In 2011 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Adam Riess of Johns Hopkins University, Saul Perlmutter of Berkeley and Michael S.

Turner of the University of Chicago for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe through observations of distant supernovae. The Australian Academy of Science noted his work in this area by giving him their Pawsey Medal in 1998 and their Hector Medal in 2003.

4.He’s a Sports Fan

American Football by Matte Johnny Bivera –

Brian Schmidt is also a big sports fan, being an avid follower of cricket and American football. He even went as far as to create his own Australian rules football team called ‘The Cactus Cuties’ for an exhibition match.

5.Schmidt’s Name is a Palindrome

There are several different ways to spell and pronounce his name, but the best way is to have it read as Schmidt. His name when read from left to right reads the same backwards and forwards, making his full name a Palindrome.

Schmidt originally disliked his name, especially when he was young because there were always other people with the same or similar name. He even admitted in an interview that his parents should have changed it.

6.He’s not a Fan of Social Media

He may be an astronomer, but he doesn’t enjoy posting on social media. He stated in a recent Reddit Ask Me Anything interview that he finds it hard to interact with people over the internet and worries that his words could be misinterpreted.

However when asked about which was better in the past or now, Schmidt replied the more connected we are, the better. Actually, I believe that good things will come from the internet. We just have to grow up as a species and make sure that we do it in an appropriate way.

7.Brian Doesn’t Get Seasick

Brian Schmidt isn’t afraid of anything when on a boat, not even the ocean. This is surprising because if you asked him if he liked boats before 2008, he would probably have told you no. He said the moment he stepped on a boat, in 2008 however, he fell in love with boats. He now loves being on the ocean, but has no issues with it at all.

8.He Bikes to Work

An Individual cycling by Alexei Basalai-

Brian Schmidt also biked to work when he first started working at the Observatory as well. Biking there was convenient for him as it saved him from having to take public transport, which would have been more expensive and time consuming than his car. He let one of his colleagues use his car at the time, who was also a keen cyclist.

9.He’s a College Dropout

Despite having won the Nobel Prize in Physics and being a respected astronomer, Schmidt dropped out of college during his last year to date his girlfriend Nicole Trundle instead. He went on to begin working at the Australian Astronomical Observatory right away, before later going on to win the prize.

He said the lesson is to not listen to your parents, because it worked out very well for me, and that he promptly returned the money he was given for his education. As of now he still lives with his wife and two children in Austin, Texas. He also said that he was considering moving to Hobart after leaving Austin. This is likely because his wife is a Tasmanian born woman, and as such has a stronger connection to the state than anywhere else in Australia.

10.Brian Schmidt’s a self-confessed procrastinator

Brian Schmidt has confessed to being a real word procrastinator, admitting that he often puts off the things he should do. Schmidt said he’s one of those people who will put off doing something for later because he just don’t want to do it at that exact time. However he does have a great deal of respect for his work and loves what he does as an astronomer.