This Month in Science History – Scientists Born in May
Science is constantly evolving, helping us understand the world better. Throughout history, some of the greatest inventors and scientists were born in May. Their contributions to science have changed the way we understand and perceive the world. But most importantly, these scientists inspire us to strive for better, question more, and trust our instincts to reach our goals.
Here are a few famous scientists born in May
Ronald Ross
Birthday: May 13, 1857
Birthplace: Almora, India
Fields: Medicine
Trivia: At the age of 14, Ross won a prize in mathematics and was presented the book Orbs of Heaven, which sparked his interest in the field of science.
Honours: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1902), The James Tait Black Memorial Prize – Biography (1923).
Known for: Ross is known for his outstanding research work on malaria-causing parasites in mosquitoes. He discovered malarial parasites in the salivary glands of mosquitoes.
Pranav Mistry
Birthday: May 14, 1981
Birthplace: Palanpur, India
Fields: Computer Science
Trivia: Mistry has a Master of Design degree from IIT Bombay and Master in Media Arts and Sciences degree from MIT, calls himself a ‘Desigineer’
Honours: The Invention Award by Popular Science (2009) and Young Global Leader (2013)
Known for: Mistry is best known for his work on SixthSence, Mouseless (an invisible computer mouse), Sparsh and Blinkdot. He is currently the director of Think Tank Team – Samsung Research America
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan
Birthday: May 18, 1952
Birthplace: Chidambaram, India
Fields: Structural Biology and Physics
Trivia: His parents – C V Ramakrishnan and Rajalakshmi Ramakrishnan-were famous scientists.
Honours: Guggenheim Fellowship for Natural Sciences, US & Canada (1991), Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2009), Padma Vibhushan (2010) and Knight Bachelor (2012)
Known for: Ramakrishnan is famous for his studies on atomic structure and function of the ribosome, a complex molecule found in all living cells
Sally Ride
Birthday: May 26, 1951
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Fields: Astronomy, Physics and Engineering
Trivia: At the age of 32, Ride became the youngest and the first American woman to enter the low-earth orbit space (1983)
Honours: Jefferson Award for Public Service, The Von Braun Award, The Theodore Roosevelt Award and NASA Space Flight Medal. Ride was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and Astronaut Hall of Fame
Known for: Ride is known for her two missions aboard the Challenger Shuttle: STS-7 and STS-41-G and for her impact on US Space Policy (The Ride Report)
Lillian Moller Gilbreth
Birthday: May 24 , 1878
Birthplace: Oakland, California
Fields: Psychology and Engineering
Trivia: Mother of 12 children, Gilbreth was known as the original ‘superwoman’ for successfully balancing her professional and personal life
Honours: Hoover Medal (1966), National Academy of Engineering (first woman elected) (1965)
Known for: Considered as one of the first industrial psychologists, Gilbreth helped industrial engineers recognise the importance of psychological dimensions in time and motion study
Which scientist do you share your birthday with?
Do tell us about your favorite scientists and how they inspire you.
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