EINSTEIN’S HEIR
Thai scientists recall Stephen Hawking SPECTRUM
‘Wearejustanadvanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star, but we can understand the universe. That makes us something very special,” Prof Stephen Hawking told a German magazine in a 1988 interview — a summary that best describes how special and ambitious we are as humans.
Prof Hawking was a very special man who inspired many scientists as well as people throughout the world. His ambition to discover an unknown boundary of the universe is remarkable, which pushed him to formulate many great theories in modern-day science.
The world lost one of its greatest scientists last week. Even though he can’t come up with more theories that would shock the world, his extensive work throughout his entire career will continue to inspire many scientists to discover the unknown.
Among the scientists who have Hawking as their main inspiration is a Thai man of science whose alma mater is Cambridge University, where he encountered the legendary scientist on a regular basis. He may not have been one of his PhD students, but he was inspired by his greatness.
NEVER A DULL MOMENT
Asst Prof Dr Pichet Kittara, a full-time lecturer at the Physics Department at Mahidol University is the Thai who studied at Cambridge University where Prof Hawking spent most of his time on his research.
Even though he didn’t study with Prof Hawking directly he attended many of his lectures and seminars. While he wasn’t among Hawking’s social circle, he has many good memories of him.
“One thing that many students who attended his class miss is his sense of humour. You may not think how a man in a wheelchair who communicates through an electronic device can crack a joke, he always made sure that his lectures were never boring with his great sense of humour,” said Dr Pichet.
During his time at Cambridge, Dr Pichet encountered Prof Hawking around 10 times. Half of the time was at seminars and lectures, the half was at Sala Thong Thai restaurant in Cambridge.
Dr Pichet was one of the students who was inspired by Prof Hawking’s work and his courage pushed him to think outside the box and be bold with the way he thinks.
“Regardless of his disability, Prof Hawking showed the world that there’s nothing you can’t do if you really put your mind to it. I always saw him going from one campus building to another in his electric wheelchair right in the middle of the road. I almost ran into him once with my bicycle. This told me that he wasn’t afraid of living his life,” Dr Pichet said.
SPEAKING TO THE PUBLIC
Prof Hawking left many outstanding works that changed the way many scientists thought and believed. As a Thai scientist directly touched by his genius, Dr Pichet sees his work as a starting point for more comprehensive research to come.
“Prof Hawking amplified the knowledge from other great scientists like Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton and made it more simple for people to understand. His explanation of the