This is the umpteenth time I have erased every word and started to rewrite this article. Despite having a profound knowledge about his life and spending hours fiddling through the internet to do additional research, I just can't seem to find the right words to describe Dr. Stephen Hawking (8 January 1942 – 14 March 2018). Such is the magnitude of admiration I have for the man.
So why do I hold this fellow in such high regard? This is because I'm a science fanatic who is full of appreciation for a man who changed the world from the confinements of his wheelchair. I look up to Dr. Hawking not just because he uncovered the darkest secrets of our universe, but because he had done so when he wasn't even properly functioning physically. Stephen Hawking is an inspiration to all and his awe-inspiring achievements send a strong message of dedication that most lack.
Right from his youth, Stephen Hawking has been a curious man, always looking for answers behind the mysteries of the universe. Having developed a keen interest in mathematics and physics, he opted for a degree in the latter at the University of Oxford and followed that by pursuing a PhD in Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. It was during this time that Dr. Hawking's promising career took off; unfortunately, his health started deteriorating as well. When he was 21, Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as the motor neurone disease. Even though doctors ruled out any chance of survival, Hawking was determined to complete his doctoral research in time. Against all odds and much to the amazement of those around him, he survived the battle against death, although he has since been fully paralyzed. He has been confined to a wheelchair for almost 50 years but even that didn't stop him from making ground breaking discoveries in cosmology, general relativity and quantum gravity.
Michael Green, who succeeded Stephen Hawking as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge expressed his admiration for his predecessor. “Clearly, his work has been dramatically important in several instances and over a long period of time. Added to that is this extraordinary physical handicap that he has and the fact that he's able to do anything is remarkable. If I get a headache, I can't work. But he seems to be able to produce stuff despite fantastic problems.” he said.
Stephen Hawking's numerous contributions to science are of enormous significance. In 1970, he along with Roger Penrose applied Albert Einstein's theory of relativity to discover singularities in gravitational collapses (black holes) and traced them back to the beginning of our universe: the big bang, hence, answering the questions about how our universe came to be. Following that, he dedicated a large part of his life to studying black holes and their behavior. He found out that black holes have their own set of laws, they radiate heat and because of their enormous gravitational pull, everything ceases to exist inside them. He further theorized how black holes are formed and how they eventually vanish. In addition, he made pioneering advances in cosmology, bringing to light how the universe is expanding exponentially and the fact that there are billions of galaxies beyond the boundaries of our own one.
In the above paragraph, I outlined only the most notorious discoveries of the greatest mind alive today. His contributions to science, particularly in the fields of physics and cosmology have made massive breakthroughs. Even though the Nobel Prize still remains elusive to him, he has been honoured with numerous prestigious awards and titles. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society, a prospective holder of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics (a position once held by Sir Isaac Newton) at the University of Cambridge for 30 years.
Other than being one of the most brilliant minds to have graced the universe, Stephen Hawking is also a fascinating character. He writes children's books, is caring towards people and inhibits loves for others. His disability did not bring him down nor made him sympathetic towards his own misfortune. Rather, he went on with his life with the help of technology, a speech synthesizer, and a hunger to thrive in his field. Oh and trust me, he has a witty sense of humour. “Stephen is far from being the unworldly archetype or nerdish scientist. He enjoys trips to theatre or opera. He has robust common sense, and is uninhibited in expressing forceful political opinions. He is a determined campaigner for the disabled. He has always been, at the personal level, sensitive to the misfortunes of others.” asserted Lord Rees, president of the Royal Society.
To sum it up, Stephen Hawking, in my opinion, is one of the greatest scientists to have lived. His scientific discoveries will open the gateway to more research and findings in the future and I believe his discoveries are as important as Copernicus' finding of the model of the solar system. For a broader insight about his life, you could watch the movie: The theory of everything starring Eddie Redmayne.
