Prognosticators of Progress!

Everyone has certain role models whether they admit to it or not. Whether it's a young person looking up to their favorite NBA player or a middle aged man wishing he could get all the chicks like Tiger Woods, or a friend who overcomes cancer, a family member we look up to, a hero we read about either in history or in mythology, a person who stands up for a just cause, whatever or whoever they may be we all have those who inspire us, and in so doing, gain our admiration and respect. Sometimes they inspire us to follow suit and try to follow in their lofty footsteps. They help us to dream by showing that the impossible can become a reality if only we put our minds to it. 

My personal heroes happen to be those men and women who sponsor the spread of science, prognosticators of progress all, and in their enthusiasm and love for learning, discovering the hidden truths, seeking knowledge, for their courageousness and never ending curiosity I am inspired to no end. To these daring men and women and their noble endeavors, their honesty, and the rigorous investigation, for their faith and rigorous intellectual honesty, with gratitude, I offer my thanks. 

Here are just a few of my personal favorite indefatigable investigators into unknown truths.

1. Dr. Brian Cox, former chart topping British rock star, now head of ATLAS division of the LHC at CERN. Was also a science adviser on the science fiction film "Sunshine" for which the main character was based on his likeness.

2. Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist and author of numerous popular physics books, such as Physics of the Impossible, is a futurist and is known for popularizing string theory aka "The Theory of Everything."

3. Brian Greene (Theoretical physicist/ Super string theorist. Known for his PBS special "The Elegant Universe," a book by the same name, and The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality.

4. Richard Feynman, one of the all time greats, known for his work on quantum mechanics and the Feynman diagrams and The Feynman Lectures.

5. Neil Degrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and Direcrot of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, Manhattan. Best known as the host of the Nova educational series "Science Now."

6. Lisa Randall, the first tenured woman theoretical physicist at both MIT and Harvard. Known for the Randal-Sundrum model and her popular book Warped Passages.  

7. Carl Sagan, astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist and science educator. Best known for his series of popular science books such as The Pale Blue Dot and The Demon-Haunted World, the television series "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage," and the novel Contact, which was later adapted into a Hollywood blockbuster starring Jodie Foster.

8. Richard Dawkins, promoter of Biology and the theory of Evolution. Known for popularizing correct science in books like Unweaving the Rainbow, the Ancestors Tale, and The Greatest Show on Earth, meanwhile tackling religious issues in his book the God Delusion. Helped push back against a growing religiosity and inadvertently gave rise to the New Atheist movement.

9. Stephen Hawking, known for his work on black holes, but probably better known for the all time best selling science book "A Brief History of Time."

10. Albert Einstein, a man who needs no introduction.

11. Lawrence Krauss, physicist and director of the Origins Initiative at Arizona State University. Known for his popular science books including The Physics of Star Trek and Hiding In the Mirror.

12. Dr. Walter Bishop, the character played by British actor John Noble on the hit television series "Fringe." Portrays a brilliant yet absent minded half-mad-scientist who unlocked the key to a parallel dimension. Has a passion for reciting the chemical properties of his favorite beverages and food recipes and can often be heard answering the question of what is it? or how did it happen? with the reply, "I don't know, but I have a theory! Take it to my lab!"