Books by "Michael Idvorsky Pupin"
3 books found
From Immigrant to Inventor: Autobiography of the Serbian-American Physicist, Chemist
by Michael Idvorsky Pupin
2024 · Porirua Publishing
From Immigrant to Inventor is the inspiring autobiography of Michael Idvorsky Pupin, chronicling his extraordinary journey from a modest childhood in rural Serbia to becoming a distinguished scientist, inventor, and professor in the United States. Originally published in 1923, the book offers a personal and reflective narrative of perseverance, intellectual discovery, and the immigrant experience during a transformative era in American history. Pupin begins with memories of his upbringing in a Serbian village, where curiosity about the natural world first sparked his lifelong passion for learning. He then recounts his emigration to the United States as a young man, arriving with little more than determination and dreams of an education. The narrative unfolds with his struggles to adapt to a new culture, working tirelessly to fund his studies and overcome the challenges of poverty. Central to the story is Pupin's education at Columbia University and further scientific training in Europe, where he immersed himself in physics, mathematics, and engineering. The book traces his groundbreaking inventions in telecommunication and electrical transmission—work that played a pivotal role in advancing wireless communication and earning him numerous patents and accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize for this very memoir. Beyond recounting his personal achievements, Pupin reflects on the broader themes of science, innovation, and the opportunities available to immigrants in America. He emphasizes the importance of education, hard work, and resilience, inspiring readers with his belief that adversity can be a catalyst for greatness. A blend of memoir, science, and philosophy, From Immigrant to Inventor offers a timeless exploration of the immigrant spirit and the transformative power of knowledge. It is a compelling read for those interested in the history of technology, the immigrant experience, and the life of one of the most influential inventors of the 20th century.
Intellectual activities which deal with nature's language and logic should, and we certainly hope that they will, lead us ultimately to a better understanding of spiritual truths. Their primary object, however, is and always was to truth in the material world.-from "Scientific Individualism"The great conflict between science and religion playing out today is but the latest act in a drama that's been running for millennia. Here, one of the greatest scientists and technological innovators of the early 20th century builds a bridge between these two philosophies so often at odds. Lucidly written and frequently poetic-Pupin quotes from the Bible and respectfully deems scientists "prophets"-this is a beautiful, warmly humanistic consideration of the "new reformation" that revolutionized humanity's understanding of the laws of the universe and enabled us to find the divine in the natural world as centuries of scientific scholarship has revealed it to us. First published in 1927, this important work of science philosophy is still highly relevant today.Also available from Cosimo Classics: Pupin's autobiography, From Immigrant to Inventor.American physicist and writer MICHAEL IDVORSKY PUPIN (1858-1935) was born in Serbia and emigrated to the United States as a teenager. As a professor and researcher at Columbia University, he invented sonar and made important discoveries in the fields of X-ray physics and telecommunications.