Theodore Gray
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Theodore Gray Theodore W. “Theo” Gray is a co-founder of Wolfram Research, prominent science author, and co-founder of app developer Touch Press. 1 Education Theodore Gray was educated at University Laboratory High School. He would later graduate with a B.S. in chemistry from University of Illinois at Urbana– Champaign in 1986. [1][2] 2 Career In 1987, Gray left a PhD program in theoretical chem- istry at the University of California at Berkeley to work with Stephen Wolfram. In that same year, he co-founded Wolfram Research. [3] His initial work for the company involved creating the user interface for Mathematica. [4] Gray would eventually leave Wolfram Research to be- come a writer and publisher full-time. [5] After amassing thousands of samples of elements from the periodic table, he assembled them into a four-legged physical table. The finished table was awarded the 2011 ACS Grady Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public, as well as the 2002 Ig Nobel Award for Chemistry. [6][7] Gray’s love of the periodic table would lead him to team up with photography Nick Mann in creating “The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Ev- ery Known Atom in the Universe” and “The Elements Vault.” [8] For many years, Gray wrote a regular column for Popular Science entitled “Gray Matter.” [9] The column was a fi- nalist for a National Magazine Award for Best Column in 2010. [10] In 2009, a collection of articles by Gray was published under the title Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do at Home—But Probably Shouldn't. [11][12] A se- quel to the book, Mad Science 2: Experiments You Can Do At Home, But STILL Probably Shouldn't was published in 2013. [13] In 2010, Gray founded Touch Press together with Max Whitby, John Cromie and Stephen Wolfram shortly after the announcement of the launch of the iPad. [14][15] The company was created to develop innovative educational apps using the technology of the iPad to its full potential. The first published app was “The Elements.” [16] Of Touch Press’s most recent app, Disney Animated, iTunes’s App Editor noted, “We’re absolutely spellbound.” [17] 3 Belief in Popular Science Throughout his career, Gray has been an advocate for a broader engagement between the public at large and the scientific community. [18] Gray’s move towards popular science is motivated by his belief in the inherent curiosity of children: All children are inherently scientists. They’re curious about the world; they’re constantly asking why, why, why, why, why; they want to know how everything works, and why things are the way they are, and that is essentially the definition of science, right? There’s stuff out there, and we want to know why is it that way, and what can we do with it, and what can we do to get something to happen that we want to have happen. And that’s really just built into children, and it has to be beaten out over the course of many years of schooling to get somebody to not be interested in science. [19] 4 Works • Theodore Gray’s Elements Vault: Treasures of the Periodic Table with Removable Archival Documents and Real Element Samples--Including Pure Gold! Black Dog & Leventhal, 2011, 128pp. ISBN 1- 57912-880-7 • (with photographer Nick Mann) The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Uni- verse. Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009, 240pp. ISBN 1-57912-814-9 • Theo Gray’s Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do At Home - But Probably Shouldn't. Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009, 240pp. ISBN 1-57912-791-6 • (with Jerry Glynn) The Beginner’s Guide to Math- ematica Version 3. Cambridge University Press, 1997, 355pp. lSBN 0521622026 • Theo Gray’s Mad Science 2: Experiments You Can Do At Home, But STILL Probably Shouldn't. Black Dog & Leventhal, 2013, 240pp. ISBN 1-57912- 932-3 1
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Elements A Visual Exploration Theodore Gray
Transcript of Theodore Gray
Theodore Gray
Theodore W. “Theo” Gray is a co-founder of WolframResearch, prominent science author, and co-founder ofapp developer Touch Press.
1 Education
Theodore Gray was educated at University LaboratoryHigh School. He would later graduate with a B.S.in chemistry from University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1986.[1][2]
2 Career
In 1987, Gray left a PhD program in theoretical chem-istry at the University of California at Berkeley to workwith Stephen Wolfram. In that same year, he co-foundedWolfram Research.[3] His initial work for the companyinvolved creating the user interface for Mathematica.[4]Gray would eventually leave Wolfram Research to be-come a writer and publisher full-time.[5]
After amassing thousands of samples of elements fromthe periodic table, he assembled them into a four-leggedphysical table. The finished table was awarded the 2011ACS Grady Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry forthe Public, as well as the 2002 Ig Nobel Award forChemistry.[6][7] Gray’s love of the periodic table wouldlead him to team up with photography Nick Mann increating “The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Ev-ery Known Atom in the Universe” and “The ElementsVault.”[8]
For many years, Gray wrote a regular column for PopularScience entitled “Gray Matter.”[9] The column was a fi-nalist for a National Magazine Award for Best Columnin 2010.[10] In 2009, a collection of articles by Gray waspublished under the title Mad Science: Experiments YouCan Do at Home—But Probably Shouldn't.[11][12] A se-quel to the book,Mad Science 2: Experiments You Can DoAt Home, But STILL Probably Shouldn't was published in2013.[13]
In 2010, Gray founded Touch Press together with MaxWhitby, John Cromie and Stephen Wolfram shortly afterthe announcement of the launch of the iPad.[14][15] Thecompany was created to develop innovative educationalapps using the technology of the iPad to its full potential.The first published app was “The Elements.”[16] Of TouchPress’s most recent app, Disney Animated, iTunes’s App
Editor noted, “We’re absolutely spellbound.”[17]
3 Belief in Popular Science
Throughout his career, Gray has been an advocate for abroader engagement between the public at large and thescientific community.[18] Gray’s move towards popularscience is motivated by his belief in the inherent curiosityof children:
All children are inherently scientists.They’re curious about the world; they’reconstantly asking why, why, why, why, why;they want to know how everything works, andwhy things are the way they are, and that isessentially the definition of science, right?There’s stuff out there, and we want to knowwhy is it that way, and what can we do withit, and what can we do to get something tohappen that we want to have happen. Andthat’s really just built into children, and ithas to be beaten out over the course of manyyears of schooling to get somebody to not beinterested in science.[19]
4 Works• Theodore Gray’s Elements Vault: Treasures of thePeriodic Table with Removable Archival Documentsand Real Element Samples--Including Pure Gold!Black Dog & Leventhal, 2011, 128pp. ISBN 1-57912-880-7
• (with photographer Nick Mann) The Elements: AVisual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Uni-verse. Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009, 240pp. ISBN1-57912-814-9
• Theo Gray’s Mad Science: Experiments You Can DoAt Home - But Probably Shouldn't. Black Dog &Leventhal, 2009, 240pp. ISBN 1-57912-791-6
• (with Jerry Glynn) The Beginner’s Guide to Math-ematica Version 3. Cambridge University Press,1997, 355pp. lSBN 0521622026
• Theo Gray’s Mad Science 2: Experiments You CanDo At Home, But STILL Probably Shouldn't. BlackDog & Leventhal, 2013, 240pp. ISBN 1-57912-932-3
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2 7 EXTERNAL LINKS
5 See also
• Amateur chemistry
• Ig Nobel Prize Winners
• Stephen Wolfram
• Touch Press
6 References[1] “Biography of Theodore Gray”. Theodore Gray.
Theodore Gray. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
[2] Lovdahl, Andrew (2006-12-12). “The biggest table ... pe-riod”. The Gargoyle. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
[3] Wolfram, Stephen (2010-12-24). “Touch Press: The Sec-ond Book”. StephenWolfram Blog. Retrieved August 14,2013.
[4] Lehrer, Brian (2009-05-22). “Interview of Wolfram Re-search Co-Founder Theodore (Theo) Gray”. Dell. Re-trieved August 14, 2013.
[5] Merli, Melissa (2013-02-10). “Getting Personal:Theodore Gray”. The News Gazette. Retrieved August15, 2013.
[6] Andrews, Ward (2012-03-05). “The Periodic Table Tableby Theodore Gray”. Design.org. Retrieved August 16,2013.
[7] “The 2002 Ig Nobel Prize Winners”. Improbable.com.Improbable Research. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
[8] Nicholes, Will (2011-03-16). “Author of ‘Mad Science’releases book on the elements”. The Toledo Blade. Re-trieved August 14, 2013.
[9] Gray Matter, Popular Science.
[10] “Winners & Finalists”. Magazine.org. American Societyof Magazine Editors. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
[11] Saslow, Rachel (2011-05-16). “Cheating at science fairs;‘Mad Science’ by Theodore Gray”. The Washington Post.Retrieved August 16, 2013.
[12] Nicholes, Will (March 16, 2011). “Author of 'Mad Sci-ence' releases book on the elements”. Toledo Free Press.Retrieved May 1, 2011.
[13] Feinberg, Ashley (2013-05-30). “How to Turn BurningGas Into a Lamp Without Blowing Yourself Up”. Giz-modo. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
[14] Roush, Wade (2011-07-29). “TouchPress: TheodoreGray Tests His Mettle in the App World”. Publisher’sWeekly. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
[15] Wolfram, Stephen (2010-12-24). “Touch Press: The Sec-ond Book”. StephenWolfram Blog. Retrieved August 12,2013.
[16] Pham, Alex (2010-04-27). “The curious tale of thewooden table that became an iPad book”. The Los An-geles Times. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
[17] “Disney Animated By Disney”. iTunes. Apple. Retrieved22 August 2013.
[18] Ingerson, Trevor (2011-09-22). “The Elements: A Q&Awith Theodore Gray”. Scholastic. Retrieved August 14,2013.
[19] Lehrer, Brian (2010-04-23). “Elemental Design”.WNYC. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
7 External links• Amazon author page.
• Personal website.
• Periodictable.com
• Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
• “Theodore Gray: Element enthusiast talks aboutmaking a periodic table for the 21st century” byBethany Halford. C&EN, 26 November 2007, page50.
• Periodic Table display makes the elements morethan elemental by Greg Kline, The News-Gazette,November 27, 2003.
• Science Friday interview with Theodore Gray, July2002.
• Steve Jobs’s Apple Keynote Speech, Theodore Grayappearance, 2005.
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8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses
8.1 Text• Theodore Gray Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Gray?oldid=631791745 Contributors: Twang, Deego, Chowbok, Bhuck,Jossi, SlimVirgin, DePiep, Salix alba, Ground Zero, TexasAndroid, RussBot, Gareth Jones, Airconswitch, ChemGardener, SmackBot,InverseHypercube, Hmains, ERcheck, Darlyn Perez, Shalom Yechiel, Rory096, Courcelles, Van helsing, Cydebot, Hyperdeath, Isilanes,Waacstats, Warut, 28bytes, Pleasantville, Duncan.Hull, Ratemonth, Trivialist, Excirial, DanielPharos, JKeck, Addbot, Yobot, Urbanatoller,Cnwilliams, RjwilmsiBot, K6ka, Doug757, ZéroBot, Scientific29, ClueBot NG, Bzrv, Helpful Pixie Bot, DeCombray, Mogism, VIAFbot,King jakob c, Jakec, Jehana Silverwing, Vieque and Anonymous: 15
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