Jorge Wagensberg Lubinski facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jorge Wagensberg
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Wagensberg in 2014
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| Born | 2 December 1948 |
| Died | 3 March 2018 (aged 69) Barcelona, Spain
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| Alma mater | University of Barcelona |
| Known for | Writer, academic, physicist and researcher |
| Awards | Juan Mari Arzak Award (UB, 2003) National Prize for Scientific Thought and Culture (2005) Creu de Sant Jordi (2007) Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Lleida |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | University of Barcelona (1981-2016) Danube University Krems |
Jorge Wagensberg Lubinski (born December 2, 1948 – died March 3, 2018) was a Spanish professor, scientist, and writer. He was a very important person in making science easy to understand for everyone in Spain.
He studied Physics at the University of Barcelona and earned his PhD there. From 1981 to 2016, he was a professor at the university. He taught about how things change over time and how tiny particles behave. He also taught in Austria for a while.
Wagensberg was known for explaining science to many people. He did this as an editor, speaker, writer, and by creating science museums.
Making Science Fun: CosmoCaixa
Jorge Wagensberg had a big role in creating and running the Science Museum of the "la Caixa" Foundation in Barcelona. He directed it from 1991 to 2005.
He also led the project to make the museum new and exciting. This led to what is now called CosmoCaixa in 2004. CosmoCaixa has locations in Barcelona and Madrid.
In 2005, he won the National Prize for Scientific Thought and Culture. This award was for his amazing work in creating the new CosmoCaixa. He continued to be the scientific director for the "la Caixa" Foundation until 2014.
A Scientist and Thinker
As a scientist, Wagensberg explored many different areas. He studied how things change, how tiny living things grow, and even how to use computers to solve problems. He also looked into biology, entomology (the study of insects), and the history of life.
He wrote about his ideas in many science journals. These journals included topics like physics, biology, and the philosophy of science.
Wagensberg was also involved in important groups that connect science museums across Europe. He was president of the European Collaborative for Science & Technology (ECSITE) from 1993 to 1995. In 2010, he helped start the European Museum Academy (EMA).
He often wrote for the magazine Mètode and for well-known newspapers like El País and El Periódico.
Books and Ideas
Jorge Wagensberg wrote many articles and over twenty books. He also published a hundred research papers. His writings covered subjects like thermodynamics (the study of heat and energy), mathematics, biophysics (physics of living things), microbiology (study of tiny living things), paleontology (study of fossils), and the philosophy of science.
In 2014, he published an important paper about the scientific method. This paper was called "On the Existence and Uniqueness of the Scientific Method." It explored the main ideas behind how scientists discover new things.
In 1983, he started a special series of books called "Metatemas." He was the editor of this collection. The "Metatemas" series focuses on scientific thinking. It has published more than 130 books by famous scientists and thinkers. Some of these include:
Wagensberg also wrote many short, clever sayings called aphorisms. These were published in newspapers, especially El País, and in books like Más árboles que ramas (More Trees Than Branches).
See also
- In Spanish: Jorge Wagensberg para niños
