Andrew Stofan Rocket scientist
Stofan’s groundbreaking work made manned and unmanned rocket launches possible, and massively safer.
From This is True for 2 November 2025
research
Misc basic researchers not under invention/medical/computing/etc.
Chaser Good girl!
First things first: Chaser was a dog, but indeed a special one. She was owned by Dr. John W. Pilley, a psychology professor at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. One of his favored fields of research was animal cognition, so perhaps it is not surprising he loved animals; Chaser was a gift from his wife, … Read more
From This is True for 28 July 2019
Hanabi-ko “Koko” the gorilla
Born on the Fourth of July, Hanabi-ko (Japanese for “Fireworks child”) was better known as Koko — a western lowland gorilla born at the San Francisco Zoo. While very young, the female gorilla was stricken with a serious illness, and put into the care of Francine “Penny” Patterson, who was studying for her doctorate in … Read more
From This is True for 24 June 2018
Peter Mansfield NMR physicist
“Few people can look back on a career and conclude that they have changed the world.”
From This is True for 12 February 2017
Richard Post Energy researcher
Post had never retired: “Use it or lose it,” he said.
From This is True for 12 April 2015
Joel Moskowitz Ceramic engineer
“We would get letters from the guys whose lives we saved.”
From This is True for 22 March 2015
Brian Sutton-Smith Playful researcher
Most psychologists traditionally considered play unworthy of study, but Sutton-Smith embraced it as a field of serious inquiry.
From This is True for 8 March 2015
George Heilmeier LCD inventor
A man “with so much brainpower, he has to register it as excess baggage.”
From This is True for 4 May 2014
David H. Hubel Visionary neuroscientist
“When it comes to sheer fun, our field is hard to beat. We try to keep that a secret.”
From This is True for 29 September 2013