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In high school Richard Ebright was a straight-A student. Because learning was easy, he turned a lot of his energy towards the Debating and Model United Nations clubs. He also found someone to admire — Richard A. Weiherer, his social studies teacher and adviser to both clubs. “Mr Weiherer was the perfect person for me then. He opened my mind to new ideas,” Ebright said.
“Richard would always give that extra effort,” Mr Weiherer said. “What pleased me was, here was this person who put in three or four hours at night doing debate research besides doing all his research with butterflies and his other interests.
“Richard was competitive,” Mr Weiherer continued, “but not in a bad sense.” He explained, “Richard wasn’t interested in winning for winning’s sake or winning to get a prize. Rather, he was winning because he wanted to do the best".
And that is one of the ingredients in the making of a scientist. Start with a first-rate mind, add curiosity, and mix in the will to win for the right reasons. Ebright has these qualities. From the time the book, The Travels of Monarch X, opened the world of science to him, Richard Ebright has never lost his scientific curiosity.
Explanation:
Ebright was a great student and consistently scored '\(A\)' grades in high school. Since learning was easy for him, he focused his concentration on debating and Model United Nations Clubs.
Ebright also admired his social studies teacher and an advisor to both clubs, Mr. Richard A. Welherer. Ebright believed that his instructor was the perfect person since he was the one who used to encourage him with fresh ideas.
Ebright's teacher used to say that Ebright would always give extra effort to things he did. His teacher was impressed with how Ebright would give an extra 3-4 hours of effort at night for the debate research, apart from his time for his butterfly research and other interests.
The teacher also added that Ebright was competitive but not in a bad sense. It means that he wasn't interested in winning to win or winning to obtain an award. Instead, he was victorious because he aspired to be the best. This is what makes a good scientist. Ebright needs a first-rate mind, curiosity, and an added will to win for the right reasons. When Ebright's mother got him the book 'The Travels of Monarch X' his curiosity about science was aroused. From that time onwards, his interest in science has never reduced.
Ebright also admired his social studies teacher and an advisor to both clubs, Mr. Richard A. Welherer. Ebright believed that his instructor was the perfect person since he was the one who used to encourage him with fresh ideas.
Ebright's teacher used to say that Ebright would always give extra effort to things he did. His teacher was impressed with how Ebright would give an extra 3-4 hours of effort at night for the debate research, apart from his time for his butterfly research and other interests.
The teacher also added that Ebright was competitive but not in a bad sense. It means that he wasn't interested in winning to win or winning to obtain an award. Instead, he was victorious because he aspired to be the best. This is what makes a good scientist. Ebright needs a first-rate mind, curiosity, and an added will to win for the right reasons. When Ebright's mother got him the book 'The Travels of Monarch X' his curiosity about science was aroused. From that time onwards, his interest in science has never reduced.
Meanings of the difficult words:
| S.No | Words | Meanings |
1 | Ingredient | One of the parts of something that is needed in order for a work to succeed |
2 | Curiosity | An eager wish to know or learn about something |
3 | Qualities | How good or bad something is |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2007). The Making of a Scientist- Robert W. Peterson(pp. 32-38). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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