The world of science, innovation and technology is a cornerstone of modern life. From changing the way the world is viewed to making everyday life simpler and safer, advances in science are the result of diligent work and effort from pioneers in their fields. Even the world of science fiction brings a bit of entertainment to the world of scientific speculation and imaginative study. It is easy, however, to sometimes forget the great pioneers who make life so much easier through their contributions. Here are ten Ken’s who became famous because of their work and background in various scientific fields.
- Ken Ham – As one of the founders of the Creation Science Foundation, Ken Ham is one of the world’s leading young-Earth advocates. Ham believes that the world is 6,000 years old and that dinosaurs coexisted with man. The Australian scientist, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Science, with an emphasis in Environmental Biology, also questions the reliability of the radiometric dating method used by geologists to determine the age of various rocks.
- Ken MacLeod – Although MacLeod holds a degree in zoology and wrote a master’s thesis on biomechanics, his claim to fame is as a science fiction writer. Two of his books, which are part of a series, are Fractions: (The First Half of the Fall Revolution), and Divisions: (The Second Half of the Fall Revolution). Other titles include Newton’s Wake: A Space Opera, Learning the World: A Novel of First Contact and The Highway Men.
- Sallman Ken – The fact that this Ken’s name serves as his surname is not the only deviation he takes from the rest of the entries on the list. Sallman Ken, as it happens, is also an alien. Before you go running for the hills, though, you should know that he is a fictional school science teacher from the book Iceworld, written by Hal Clement. An astronomer who was educated at Oxford, Clement is better known for his books, Mission of Gravity and Needle.
- Kenneth Ford – Already a big name in Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC), Ford was thrust into the public spotlight with the announcement that he would head The Defense Science Board, which is part of the US Department of Defense. The board was put in place to provide valuable scientific knowledge on advances in weaponry, as well as to determine the best utilization of new technology.
- Kenneth Branagh – Sir Kenneth Branagh himself may not be a scientist, but he did play the infamously experimental Victor Frankenstein in the 1994 version of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, opposite Robert DeNiro as the notorious monster. Branagh’s version included the artistic telling of the tale along with the monster’s ability to speak, which had been left off previous big-screen releases of Shelly’s masterpiece.
- Ken Kennedy – Here is a scientist whose achievements in computer science are almost too many to list. Kennedy held, among many other accolades, a fellowship in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association for Computing Machinery, and a W. W. McDowell Award. The Ken Kennedy CS Award was named in his honor after he succumbed to pancreatic cancer on February 7, 2007, at the age of 61.
- Ken Yeang – Renowned as the world’s greatest green architect, Yeang has a background in ecological science and, of course, architecture. By combining the two, he aims to create sustainable, green eco-architecture. So important are Ken Yeang’s designs to potential future environmental sustainability that he has won a number of awards, including the particularly relevant Merdeka Award in the “Environment Category.”
- Kenneth J. Dunkley – 3D glasses have revolutionized the cinematic experience, and it’s all thanks to Kenneth J. Dunkley. By blocking two points in a human’s peripheral vision, Dunkley was able to create a 3D effect from a 2D image. He went on to file a patent in 1986 for his 3D viewing glasses, which didn’t require the use of mirrors or special lenses, and the rest, as they say, is history.
- Kenneth Libbrecht – It may surprise you to learn that this solar astronomer, rather than gazing out at the stars, is most famous for his fascination with snowflakes. Libbrecht is so awestruck with winter’s most beautiful crystals that he has written a number of popular books on the subject. Some of Ken’s most successful titles are affectionately named, The Snowflake: Winter’s Secret Beauty, Ken Libbrecht’s Field Guide to Snowflakes and The Little Book of Snowflakes. When he is not out wandering in winter wonderlands, Libbrecht can be found serving as a professor of physics at Caltech.
- Kenneth R. Miller – A Roman Catholic cell and molecular biologist, Miller is a strong advocate for the compatibility of evolution and the belief in God. However, he is an opponent of the Creationist theory, and has written two popular books on the subject, Finding Darwin’s God and Only a Theory. Kenneth R. Miller is also a Professor of Biology and a Royce Family Professor for Teaching Excellence at Brown University.