Meet Peter Gallivan, author of ‘The Hidden Heroes of Science: Shining a Light on the Unknown Trailblazers of the Scientific World’, an exciting new collaboration between DK Books and The Royal Institution, which will be available for purchase and signing after the event.
Peter's book will launch at the Royal Institution on Saturday, 7 June, where he'll be exploring some of the amazing hidden heroes of science featured in the book, whose work shaped the modern world we live in. On a whistlestop tour of science, you’ll journey back thousands of years to meet some of the first scientists, before journeying onwards meeting heroes from all over the world. The Ri Demo team will also be on hand to help bring the science to life with exciting demonstrations and experiments.
We caught up with Peter to dive deeper into the themes of this fun and enlightening book.
What inspired you to write Hidden Heroes of Science? Was there a particular moment or story that sparked the idea?
If you ask a random person on the street to name a scientist, they will likely come up with similar names, people like Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla or Thomas Edison. In reality, however the scientists who shaped our modern world are much more diverse than just these men - I hope this book introduces you to some interesting new people and their amazing stories.
Many of the people you spotlight in the book have been overlooked for a long time. How did you go about choosing who to include?
I really wanted to show readers the wide range of work people do as scientists, beyond the stereotype of people sitting in a lab. In the book you'll meet artists, explorers, and even an Ancient Egyptian demigod!
Was there one story or individual that particularly moved or surprised you during your research?
I love everyone you'll meet in the book, but Marie Tharp's story is particularly incredibly. Despite not being allow on a research ship because of her gender, she still made groundbreaking discoveries about the sea bed. All without ever being at sea!
Are there any other “hidden heroes” you wish you could’ve included but didn’t have room for?
There are so many amazing people I couldn't fit in! Mileva Marić for example was a mathematician married to Albert Einstein. Einstein wasn't actually very good at maths, so she helped him with his work - contributing to some of his important theories.
As a science writer and working with science outreach, how do you think storytelling can change the way people engage with science?
I think we can accidently put scientists on a pedestal, which can make ordinary people like you or I feel like being a scientist is an unachievable goal. Hopefully by reading the stories in this book, you will see that even a great scientist like Michael Faraday started out like you, as a child reading a book about science!
What’s one key message or feeling you hope young readers walk away with after finishing the book?
Anyone can be a scientist! There are so many different skills that can be useful that you might not think, like thinking creatively and having an active imagination. All you really need to succeed as a scientist is the ability to ask a simple question - why?
Finally, what are you working on next?
My next book will be exploring the many different questions scientists don't quite have an answer to yet. From how the universe will end to why you still have an appendix, I'm sure it will contain questions that have popped into your head in your sleep (as did much of the questions in the book for me too!)
About the author
Peter Gallivan is the Outreach Manager in the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences, King's College London. He is a regular contributor for the award-winning young people’s science magazine The Week Junior Science+Nature, and has written three books for Harper-Collins ‘Big Cat’ grading reading series.
