Lucy Hawking facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lucy Hawking
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Hawking at NASA in 2008
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| Born |
Catherine Lucy Hawking
2 November 1970 United Kingdom
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| Alma mater | University of Oxford City University of London |
| Occupation | |
| Organization | National Star College |
| Spouse(s) |
Alex Smith
(m. 1998; div. 2004) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents |
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Lucy Hawking, born on November 2, 1970, is an English writer, journalist, and educator. She is well-known for writing exciting children's books about science. Her father was the brilliant scientist Stephen Hawking, and her mother is writer Jane Wilde Hawking. Lucy lives in London and helps teach kids about science in fun and interesting ways.
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Growing Up and School
Lucy Hawking was born in 1970. She grew up in Cambridge, England, after spending a few years in California when she was very young. She has two brothers, Robert and Timothy. As she grew up, she helped care for her father, Stephen Hawking, whose health was affected by a serious illness called motor neurone disease.
Lucy studied French and Russian at the University of Oxford. She even spent time in Moscow to improve her Russian. After Oxford, she studied journalism at City University of London. Even though she didn't become a full-time journalist, this training helped her become a good writer.
Her Work as a Writer
After university, Lucy Hawking worked as a journalist for several newspapers and magazines. She wrote for places like New York magazine, the Daily Mail, and The Guardian. She also worked as a radio journalist.
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Lucy always wanted to write books. Her first two novels were for adults. But then, she started writing for children. In 2007, she published George's Secret Key to the Universe. This was an adventure story about a boy named George who travels through space. She wrote this book with her father, Stephen Hawking, and his former student, Christophe Galfard.
This book became very popular! It was translated into 38 languages and sold in 43 countries. Lucy and her co-authors wrote five more books in the "George" series:
- George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt (2009)
- George and the Big Bang (2011)
- George and the Unbreakable Code (2014)
- George and the Blue Moon (2016)
- George and the Ship of Time (2018)
In 2015, Lucy worked on an educational project called Principia Space Diary. This project helped over 60,000 students in the UK learn about space. It was part of astronaut Tim Peake's mission to the International Space Station.
All of Lucy's books and articles focus on teaching science to children. She got this idea when her son's friend asked her father, Stephen Hawking, about black holes. Her father joked that the boy would "turn into spaghetti" if he went into one, and the boy loved the answer! This showed Lucy that using fun stories and adventures is a great way to get young people excited about science.
Awards and Special Events
Lucy Hawking has received many awards and been invited to speak at important events:
- In 2008, she gave a talk at NASA's 50th birthday celebration. She spoke about how important it is to get children interested in science early on.
- She also won a Sapio Prize, an Italian award for people who make science popular around the world.
- In 2010, she was a special writer at Arizona State University's Origins Project.
- In 2013, she spoke at the BrainSTEM: Your Future is Now festival in Canada.
- In 2017, she was a speaker at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai. She was also honored by the Amsterdam News Educational Foundation for her work in science education.
Helping Others
Lucy Hawking is also involved in helping people. She is the vice president of the National Star College. This college helps young adults with disabilities learn and live independently. She is also a trustee for the Autism Research Trust, which supports research into autism.
Her Family Life
Lucy Hawking married Alex Mackenzie Smith in 1998, but they divorced in 2004. She has a son who has autism. Her son's experiences have inspired her to support and advocate for people on the autistic spectrum.
See also
In Spanish: Lucy Hawking para niños
