Have you ever wondered how really
smart people think? Well, I have on lots of occasions and, admittedly,
usually in an attempt at emulation. But let me tell you, it's not for
the faint-hearted – even thinking about how really ingenious people
think requires, well, a lot of thinking. Luckily, there’s a way around
this: elicit some direct advice from people who ought to know.
Theoretical physicists, for instance.
Thomas Brabec, a professor of physics at the University of Ottawa, is
one of these theoretical physicists, which basically means that he does
the thinking part while others, so-called experimental physicists, run
experiments to see whether his thinking amounts to anything worthwhile
in the real world. That doesn’t mean, of course, that the experimental
physicists don’t think. They also are known to think a lot, just not in
quite as pure a manner as theoretical physicists. One might say that
experimental physicists are thinkers with a practical slant and
theoretical physicists are pure thinkers. This is evidenced by the fact
that Thomas Brabec, for instance, spends most of his time just
thinking. Judging by the numerous and very prestigious awards he has
received for his work, one can safely assume that he must be quite good
at it.
“A drawing that continues on the back
side or working with extremely fine lines represents this way of
pushing perception to its boundaries,” Dr. Bussmann comments on her
work on the philosopher Merleau-Ponty, “but sometimes I have the
feeling that what I am doing is unjustified—to read philosophers in such a
way. But then on the other hand, that’s exactly what it’s about to find
new approaches; the way of trying something new instead of diligently
producing some more footnotes.”
Astrid Schnetzer has to commute to
her working environment, as so many others do. One way takes her about
two hours, but there are some significant differences compared to other
commuters: The vehicle she’s commuting with is a "Deep Submergence
Vehicle" nicknamed “Alvin,” and it carries her into the depths of the
Pacific Ocean.
The OST network of Austrian scientists abroad was established by the
Office of Science & Technology (OST) at the Austrian Embassy in
Washington, D.C., and focuses on the outreach of government-related
agencies to Austrian scientists in North America. Its main objective
has been to support the scientific community with information and
specific advice wherever necessary and requested.
Thomas Brabec, a professor of physics at the University of Ottawa, is
one of these theoretical physicists, which basically means that he does
the thinking part while others, so-called experimental physicists, run
experiments to see whether his thinking amounts to anything worthwhile
in the real world. That doesn’t mean, of course, that the experimental
physicists don’t think. They also are known to think a lot, just not in
quite as pure a manner as theoretical physicists. One might say that
experimental physicists are thinkers with a practical slant and
theoretical physicists are pure thinkers. This is evidenced by the fact
that Thomas Brabec, for instance, spends most of his time just
thinking. Judging by the numerous and very prestigious awards he has
received for his work, one can safely assume that he must be quite good
at it.
The association of Austrian
Scientists and Scholars in North America (ASciNA) is hosting a
conference in Vienna, Austria this year.
