Scott L. Montgomery facts for kids
Scott L. Montgomery (born May 30, 1951) is an American writer, earth scientist, and teacher. He works at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is well-known for his books and articles about energy, history, languages, and the history of science.
One of his books, The Shape of the New: Four Big Ideas and How They Built the Modern World (2015), was chosen by The New York Times as a top book in 2015. His articles have appeared in popular magazines like Forbes and Newsweek, and science journals like Science and Nature.
Early Life and Learning
Scott Lyons Montgomery was born on May 30, 1951, in Ithaca, New York. His parents were Kay C. Montgomery and Shirley Lyons Montgomery. He and his brother, Bruce, grew up with their mother. They later moved to Kensington, Maryland.
Scott went to Walter Johnson High School. Then he attended Knox College in Illinois. He first studied chemistry. Later, he changed his major to English and graduated with high honors. He started a science degree at Cornell University. He decided to finish with a master's degree when his mother became very ill. After she passed away in 1979, he moved to Japan. There, he taught English and learned about Japanese culture and language.
His Work
When Scott returned to the U.S. in 1982, he started working in the energy field. He became an earth scientist who studied oil. He also translated scientific papers from Japanese to English. He worked as a consultant for different companies.
He wrote a series of books called Petroleum Frontiers. He completed 74 of these books. He also wrote two textbooks: Structural Geology and Exploration for Marginal Marine Sandstones.
In 1995, a group called the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) asked him to write a new series. These were technical papers for the AAPG Bulletin. Between 1995 and 2002, Montgomery wrote about 50 of these papers. They were very popular around the world. They helped set a new standard for clear reports on oil and gas discoveries. Many are still read today.
During this time, Scott also started writing essays and books about science and other subjects. He kept both careers going for over ten years. In 2004, he added a third job. He became a teacher at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. In 2008, he stopped working as an oil geologist. He focused more on teaching about energy, climate change, and history. In 2015, students at the Jackson School gave him an award for his teaching.
His Books
Montgomery's first book, Minds for the Making (1994), looked at how science education developed in the U.S. His next books, The Scientific Voice (1996) and The Moon and the Western Imagination (1998), explored how science uses language and images.
Then came Science and Translation: Movements of Knowledge Through Cultures and Time (2000). This book was important because it showed how central translation has been to the history of science. It has been translated into many languages. Universities around the world use it in their classes.
More recently, Montgomery wrote Does Science Need a Global Language?. This book explores how English became the main language for science today. It discusses what this means for scientists everywhere. The book talks about past global science languages like Greek, Latin, and Arabic. It suggests that English is now a key part of science itself. It argues that English has more benefits than drawbacks. However, the book also discusses the challenges many non-English speaking scientists face. It highlights how the rise of English has caused some unfairness.
In 2015, Montgomery and Dan Chirot published The Shape of the New: Four Big Ideas and How They Built the Modern World. This book argues that ideas are extremely important. They shape the modern world. The authors believe that ideas from the Age of Enlightenment have been overlooked. These ideas include individual freedom, rights, democracy, and scientific effort.
Shape of the New looks at four main areas of thought through important thinkers:
- Adam Smith for economic freedom.
- Charles Darwin for biology.
- Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton for democratic government.
- Karl Marx for human equality.
The book shows how these ideas grew and influenced the 19th and 20th centuries. It explains their impact up to today. The authors say that ideas like democratic freedom are still being debated and fought over. This is true for Darwin's and Marx's ideas too.
The book also discusses reactions against these ideas. These include religious beliefs, totalitarianism, and fascism. It argues that these challenges to democracy, economic freedom, and equality are still happening.
The book also makes a point that studying the humanities (like history and literature) is important. It says everyone should learn about books like Smith's Wealth of Nations or Darwin's Origin of Species.
In 2017, Montgomery and Thomas Graham Jr. published Seeing the Light: The Case for Nuclear Power in the 21st Century. Thomas Graham Jr. is an expert on nuclear arms. This book looks at the good and bad sides of nuclear power. It discusses how nuclear power can help with climate change and air pollution.
The book covers the history of nuclear weapons and issues about preventing their spread. It also talks about different nuclear reactor designs. It breaks new ground by looking closely at the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents. It also explains radiation, including natural background radiation. The book also discusses common arguments against nuclear power. It uses the life of Ernest Rutherford to explain key nuclear science ideas.
One of the most original parts of the book explores why people fear nuclear power. It looks at how this fear is linked to concerns about government, corporations, and military power. It also explores worries about environmental damage.
