91导航

By Caitlin Jennings, Communications Specialist, 91导航 & the Public

After seeing a photo of himself with Eleanor Roosevelt during the Science Talent Search on the back page of the聽Spring 2011 SSP Newsletter, Ken Ford (STS 1944) recently joined and reconnected with SSP.聽 鈥淚t was a wonderful opportunity and a wonderful experience,鈥� he says of the week where he met 39 other like-minded Finalists along with scientists who inspired and encouraged him. 聽He became a Finalist after writing an essay on the passage of charged particles through gases.

Decades later, Ken is still writing about science and recently published a new book,聽, to help lay readers and scientists alike better understand quantum reality.聽 According to聽Publishers Weekly, 鈥淏y using humor and straight talk to answer questions that often bedevil the non-scientist who attempts to grasp this knotty subject, Ford has created an entertaining read and an excellent companion piece to more detailed popular treatments of modern physics.鈥�

Ken is no stranger to physics or to writing books. After earning his Ph.D. in physics from Princeton, he stayed in academia, teaching and researching.聽 However, his career then took some unexpected turns as he served as the President of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, President of Molecular Biophysics Technology, Inc., and the Executive Director and CEO of the American Institute of Physics, among other positions. 鈥淚 like to say I had a checkered career,鈥� he says, joking that his聽聽is a result of his inability to say the word 鈥渘o.鈥�

Even in retirement, he has kept busy. 鈥淚n order to fill this gap of time and build my energies to something after retirement, I started writing.鈥� He collaborated with a friend, the physicist聽, on Wheeler’s autobiography, published聽聽that has since been translated into five other languages, and even wrote a memoir,聽, covering his 50 years of flying small planes and gliders.

鈥淭he idea of doing nothing, or just relaxing, or just traveling, or just reading, has not been at all appealing to me,鈥� Ken says, which is why in addition to writing, he also continues to teach through online tutoring. 鈥淲orking with students is the most rewarding thing in the world,鈥� he says, adding that it doesn鈥檛 matter what kinds of students he is working with, 鈥渇rom 14-year-olds in ninth grade to graduate students working on their dissertations, they are all different but they are all wonderful.鈥�

He also often shares his wisdom from his many years of experience across different fields, advising his students: 鈥淔ollow your heart, follow your passion.聽 Don鈥檛 think about where the jobs are, don鈥檛 think about where the money is, think about what really interests you and go for it.鈥�

Learn more about Ken at his website:聽.