It has been over a week since Stephen Hawking’s tragic passing in Cambridge, England. The renowned theoretical physicist was praised for writing books such as “A Brief History Of Time” and “The Universe in a Nutshell” as well as surviving the form of ALS he was diagnosed with as a young adult. He also was given many awards for his work in the field of science, such as The Albert Einstein Award, The Wolf Prize, The Hughes Medal and many more. Hawking died on the 14th of March 2018 at the age of 76 due to his ALS. More information on this truly iconic figure can be found in our obituary, looking into Hawking’s extraordinary life.
I caught up with Mrs. Kerr – a teacher from our brilliant Science department – and asked her some questions about what she thought about the death of such a famous scientist.
So, what was your first reaction to hearing the news?
“In a way it was shock because you just never expect
geniuses are ever going to die. But at the same time
I’m quite relieved for him because I think he lived
a world of pain and I think that he lived a world that was
quite difficult for him and I’m glad that he’s going to a
different world now where he’s going to have all that relieved
from him.”
And how do you think this will change the world of science?
“I think it’s given, especially young people, more of
an interest in what he did because a lot of people
knew who he was probably more for his disease than for
his science. So I’m hoping that will mean lot of people
look into what he was actually famous for in the first place.”
