image: Cover art to "Fascination of Science" view more
Credit: The MIT Press, 2023.
What makes a brilliant scientist? Who are the people behind the greatest discoveries of our time? Connecting art and science, photographer Herlinde Koelbl seeks the answers in this English translation of the German book Fascination of Science, an indelible collection of portraits of and interviews with sixty pioneering scientists of the twenty-first century. Koelbl's approach is intimate and accessible, and her highly personal interviews with her subjects reveal the forces (as well as the personal quirks) that motivate the scientists' work; for example, one wakes up at 3 am because her mind is calm then, another says his best ideas come to him in the shower. These glimpses into the scientists' lives and thinking add untold texture in this up-to-the-minute survey of the activities and progress that are currently taking place in the broad field of the natural sciences.
Koelbl's interview subjects include Nobel Prize winners Dan Shechtman, Frances Arnold, Carolyn Bertozzi, and cover scientific fields from astronomy, biochemistry, and quantum physics to stem-cell research and AI. Beautifully bringing together art, science, and the written word, Fascination of Science is an inspiring read that shows how creativity, obsession, persistence, and passion drive the pioneering researchers of our time.
Herlinde Koelbl is a German photographic artist, author, and documentary filmmaker. She has published more than a dozen photography books, including Jewish Portraits, Targets, and Angela Merkel Portraits 1991–2021. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Dr. Erich Salomon Prize in 2001. You can learn more about her at www.herlindekoelbl.com.
“True to its title, this is a fascinating collection of interviews. Herlinde Koelbl's insightful questions and the candid responses of her subjects offer a matchless window into the personal histories and thinking of some of the world's most successful scientists."
-- John P. Holdren, Research Professor, Harvard University; President Obama's Science Advisor, January 2009 to January 2017
Contact: Head of UK and EU Publicity, Katie Lewis, The MIT Press, (lewisk@mit.edu)