7 December 2017Linus PaulingLinus Pauling was an American scientist born in 1901 in Portland, Oregon.
He was oneof the creators of the fields of quantum chemistry and molecular biology, better known for hisinvolvement in the initial research of DNA and its structure. He would later work on other fieldsof science that never gained the attention that other new fields of science have been given.Pauling also became one of four individuals to win more than one Nobel Peace Prize.Linus Pauling was born in Portland, Oregon on February 28, 1901. Pauling was the first-born child of a pharmacist and a stay-at-home mother. He found his interest in chemistry as achild from his friend’s small chemistry lab kit. His interest continued to expand throughout highschool. At age 15, Pauling had enough credits to graduate and enter Oregon State University,minus two American history courses.
When his principle denied his proposition of taking thecourses at an accelerated timeframe, he left his high school that June without his diploma. Hewould later receive his diploma after winning his second Nobel Peace Prize, 45 years later.Pauling worked extremely hard that summer, juggling multiple jobs to pay for his upcomingcollege expenses. That September 1917, Pauling was accepted into Oregon State University.
Linus Pauling took mostly science and math related courses in his first semester. Paulingwas very active on the campus and helped found the school’s Delta Upsilon fraternity. He lookedinto getting a job in his second year at OSU to help support his mother.
The school offeredPauling a job teaching a course he had just finished, quantitative analysis. He worked forty-hourRanck 2weeks and made enough money to support his mother and continue his schooling. In 1922, hegraduated from OSU with a chemical engineering degree. Pauling would go on to start graduateschool at Caltech.Linus Pauling’s career started in 1927 when Caltech offered him an assistant professorposition in theoretical chemistry. Focusing on X-ray crystal studies, he wrote fifty papers in fiveyears and created five rules known as Pauling’s Rules. By 1930, Pauling had worked his way upto full professor.In 1948, while visiting Oxford University, a light bulb went off in Pauling’s head.
Hesuddenly started researching deep into the structure of proteins. He folded a sheet of paper atspots he knew the chain could bend. Pauling found that it creates a certain helical structure, henamed this structure an alpha helix. In 1953, Watson and Crick announced their interpretation ofthe structure of DNA, a two-stranded double helix. Pauling’s discoveries of the alpha helixbacked up their discoveries.
I believe that Pauling’s many scientific discoveries are still relevant today because of hismotivation and interesting in discovering areas never before touched on, rather than expandingalready known information.Linus Pauling’s collaboration with other scientists helped by giving him second opinionsand other ways to look at something. On the other hand, when working with someone else, noneof your work is guaranteed to stay your work.
Competition in scientific discoveries has the potential to accelerate it because it makes ita mental and physical game. If you want credit for something, you need to have the mentalmotivation to reach out and achieve it. Also, it tests what you really know and your ability toe yourself, especially in a field when you are working to find something no one else hasf
