Tips for finding information on living scientists
In this class, you are allowed to write about scientists who are no longer living, but you are encouraged to write about scientists who are still living! This will help add to our collective body of knowledge about science and scientists.
Many living scientists may not have much formally published in terms of biographical information at this time in their lives. You may need to get creative in what information sources you're reviewing. In addition to their guidelines on Reliable Sources, Wikipedia also has guidelines for Biographies of living persons, with three core content policies. Wikipedia suggests that content on living persons should be:
- written from a neutral point of view
- verifiable
- not original research.
To reduce random Googling, the following types of sources are generally considered reliable and verifiable:
- Institutional Faculty Websites - can often be found by Googling faculty's name and institution
- Wikipedia - but check the sources they are using, and don't use it without LibKey Nomad installed in your browser!
- ORCID - Persistent research identifier. If faculty are using this, it will have biographical details like degrees and institutions
- Google Scholar Profile
- Scholar profiles in other databases, like Scopus
- Videos of colloquium, presentations, lectures, etc.
- Scientists' own social media - check LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Reddit, BlueSky, Mastodon (and check hashtags as well as individual accounts. Try hashtags like #iamaphysicist, #blackinscience, #womeninSTEM, etc.)
- Interviews, profiles, and obituaries in Physics Today, Nature, and other scientific news sources, trade publications, and scholarly journals
Recommended Books and Websites
The following books and online resources may be helpful to you in finding more information about physicists and astronomers throughout history.
American Men & Women of Science: A Biographical Directory of Today’s Leaders in Physical, Biological and Related Sciences by ISBN: 9780028683744Publication Date: 2023Profiles living persons in the physical and biological fields, as well as public health scientists, engineers, mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientists.
The Biographical Dictionary of Women in ScienceCall Number: Rose Reference Q141 .B5285 2000Publication Date: 2000Combines "facts-fronted" fast access to biographical details with highly readable accounts and analyses of nearly 3000 scientists' lives, works, and accomplishments.
Meeting the Challenge: Top Women in Science by ISBN: 9780197574751Publication Date: 2023-04-14Learn about more than 120 women scientists. Accounts of all science Nobel laureate women, others of discoveries of similar significance, and many more with special achievements make this a fascinating read.
The Sky Is for Everyone: Women Astronomers in Their Own Words by ISBN: 9780691207100Publication Date: 2022-06-21The Sky Is for Everyone is an internationally diverse collection of autobiographical essays by women who broke down barriers and changed the face of modern astronomy.
Stories of Astronomers and Their Stars by ISBN: 9783030803087Publication Date: 2021-09-03This book recounts the stories of the astronomical pioneers who forever changed our views of the cosmos.
Complete Dictionary of Scientific BiographyCall Number: Q141 .C55 2008 InternetPublication Date: 2008Provides information on the history of science through articles on the professional lives of scientists. All periods of science from classical antiquity to modern times are represented
The Hutchinson Dictionary of Scientific BiographyCall Number: Q141 .H88 2005 InternetThis dictionary provides an authoritative and accessible guide to the lives, labors and achievements of the men and women who have shaped the world of science.
Science and Its TimesCall Number: Q175.46 .S35 2000ISBN: 078763932XThe volumes are chronologically ordered from 2000 B.C. to the present, addressing a wide variety of scientific developments with explanations of underlying factors and their effects on politics, economics, culture and daily life.
Biographies of Scientists for Sci-Tech Libraries by ISBN: 9781003002857Publication Date: 2019-12-05This book is an invaluable guide to biographies of scientists from a wide variety of scientific fields.
A Quantum Life by ISBN: 9781984819093Publication Date: 2021-06-15With the encouragement of his mentor and the sole Black professor in the Stanford physics department, Hakeem Muata Oluseyi confronted his personal demons as well as the entrenched racism and classism of the scientific establishment. Alternately heartbreaking and hopeful, A Quantum Life narrates one man's remarkable quest across an ever-expanding universe filled with entanglement and choice.
The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, & Dreams Deferred by ISBN: 9781541724709Publication Date: 2021-03-09Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is one of the leading physicists of her generation, at work on the origins of spacetime at the intersection of particle physics and astrophysics. She is also one of the fewer than one hundred Black women to earn a PhD in physics.
A Portrait of the Scientist As a Young Woman by ISBN: 9780063086876Publication Date: 2023-09-05A memoir from a world-renowned planetary scientist explores her remarkable life story, the struggles she faced as a woman in the field, and her work as the leader of NASA's Psyche mission to explore the largest known metal-rich asteroid.
Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe by ISBN: 9780593299180Publication Date: 2023-07-11This memoir charts the life of Dr. Aomawa Shields as an astronomer, classically-trained actor, mother, and Black woman in STEM as she searches for life in the universe while building a meaningful life here on Earth.
Making Contact: Jill Tarter and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence by ISBN: 9781681774411Publication Date: 2017-07-04The inspiring story of an important American astronomer who co-founded the SETI Institute, which was created "to study all aspects of the existence, formation, and evolution of life in the universe.
Carbon Queen by ISBN: 9780262046435Publication Date: 2022-03-01The life of trailblazing physicist Mildred Dresselhaus, who expanded our understanding of the physical world.
- Physicist Biography Library Catalog SearchClick this link to get taken to a quick search of the library catalog for the phrase "physicist biography," limited to books. There are more than 400 physical and/or e-books that may help with your project!
- Princeton University's Science SpotlightThe CST Spotlight celebrates diversity in STEM by highlighting individuals from various backgrounds, including people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, those with disabilities, and more, reflecting CST's commitment to representation.
- National Academy of Sciences: Biographical MemoirsPublished since 1877, Biographical Memoirs provide the life histories and selected bibliographies of deceased National Academy of Sciences members. Colleagues familiar with the subject’s work write these memoirs and as such, the series provides a biographical history of science in America. You can also view scientists' current research profiles in the NAS Membership Directory.
- Worlds of Wonder: Scientific Communities at Work in Fact, Fantasy, and the FutureFrom the far reaches of our galaxy, to local ecosystems closer to home, scientific discovery is fostered by individuals, teams, and communities coming together to answer bold questions. Scientific communities can create generative spaces for exploration and collaboration (and, sometimes, competition!). In the imaginations of writers like Tolkien, Asimov, Butler, and more, and in real-world labs around the globe, scientific communities can be found tackling humanity’s big questions and wicked problems in all places and times. USE CAUTION: This display features memoirs, biographies, fiction, and non-fiction resources that explore scientific communities and community members at work in the past, present, and future.
Recommended Databases
The following databases may be helpful to you as you work on your assignment. Remember that many of these databases will contain more information on historical people, and less or no information on living people.
- AccessScience: McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology Online This link opens in a new windowReference resource containing encyclopedia articles, illustrations, definitions, biographies, bibliographies, and learning resources covering all major science disciplines.
- American National Biography This link opens in a new windowA biographical resource for notable people in American history.
- Biography In Context This link opens in a new windowBiographical information on over 480,000 people throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas.
- Current Biography Illustrated This link opens in a new windowProvides content of the H.W. Wilson Company’s printed magazine Current Biography in searchable, electronic format. Users can search thousands of accurate and objective biographies by occupation, activity, gender, birthday, place of origin and more.
- History of Science, Technology and Medicine This link opens in a new windowBibliographic entries for journal articles, conference proceedings, books, book reviews, and dissertations on the history of science, technology, and medicine.
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online This link opens in a new windowBiographies of 55,000 deceased men and women who shaped all aspects of the British past from the earliest times and all walks of life.
- Scopus This link opens in a new windowIndexing, abstracts, and citation searching for science and social science scholarly literature.
Content adapted from Princeton University.
Dressel, W. (2023, December 27). Research guides: Scientist spotlight biography resources: home. https://libguides.princeton.edu/c.php?g=1252664&p=9173672