Writing a book in collaboration with one of the most pre-eminent thinkers of our time is no easy task – even when that genius is your father. But for Lucy Hawking, daughter of the theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, it has been well worth the effort.
Their children’s book series – the first of which is George’s Secret Key to the Universe – has been a global success in terms of bringing complex scientific concepts to the masses. Through young George’s adventures across the universe, readers learn about everything from cosmology to quantum mechanics – and all in a surprisingly accessible way.
“I had been looking for a way to describe the work that my father and his colleagues did for a young age group,” explained Lucy, 44, who has had a successful career as journalist and author for many years.
“My son was having a birthday party and a group of his friends, all about seven or eight years old, were crowded around my dad and one asked him: ‘Stephen, what would happen if I fell into a black hole?’ And I just thought ‘what a great question’. And it gave me the idea that that’s what we should do. We should explain such concepts by storytelling.”
Stephen wasn’t immediately sold on the idea but, tasking Lucy to go away and write some draft material, he soon came round.
“He had never done this creative writing before, but he really enjoyed it. It was a new challenge, and a completely different thing for him to do. So he threw himself into it quite heartily,” Lucy said.
And thankfully, Stephen’s own physical limitations due to being almost entirely paralysed, were not an issue for their collaboration.
“Because of his computer in his chair, it meant I could send documents directly to him, and so he would work on them and send them back to me. So in that respect, it was no different from working with someone who didn’t need speech technology. That’s what a lot of people get stuck on with this collaboration – it’s ‘how could you have done this’. But it wasn’t a problem because of modern technology,” she said.
The only snag in the process was an initial alteration of mindset which Lucy had to help her father with.
“Like many scientists, he had to understand that he has a natural and intuitive grasp of concepts that is not shared by a general audience and especially a young audience,” she said.
And three books later, Lucy and Stephen’s collaboration has proved to be a smash-hit pairing. In fact, such has been its success it has launched Lucy’s side career in leading science-related talks across the country. This weekend, she will present at Aberdeen University as part of its National Science and Engineering Week programme of events.
“I’m giving a talk which is a family and children’s event,” she explained.
“It’s a talk which takes the audience, whoever they may be, on a journey around the universe. It’s looking at the way the human race have explored the universe around them, but it’s also using our own imagination to ask ‘what would it be like to actually go there?’.”
Through clever use of images, recorded interviews with scientists and astronauts, she is able to make complex science accessible and fun for the audience. Also, much to the delight of the crowd, there will be a special recording by a certain famous theoretical physicist at the end of the talk.
What Lucy does in terms of science communication rides high on the success of UK-wide initiatives which aim to encourage young people to get involved.
“What I can say from my experience is that a huge amount of energy and effort is being put into this area,” she said.
“Lots of people are working hard to engage young minds. I don’t think there’s ever been such a widespread, creative and collaborative effort to work in this area.
“So I definitely hope that we are starting to see results and that these people are benefiting from it and enjoying it.”
And as for bridging the gap between young people and genius-level scientists like her father, Lucy finds those two worlds might not be as far apart as you would think.
“I’ve noticed, and this is just anecdotally, there seems to be a strong similarity in the way that kids think and the way physicists think. They seem to retain this sense of openness, wonder, thrill of discovery and joy of exploration. So what you would think of as two completely disparate groups actually have, in some respects, a similar mindset.”
Lucy Hawking will launch the Aberdeen programme for National Science and Engineering Week with her event tomorrow, at 7pm, in the Aberdeen University’s MacRobert building. The week’s festivities, which are led by the Aberdeen branch of the British Science Association with support from Aberdeen University, BP and the Scottish Government, runs from tomorrow to March 23. Highlights of the programme include: Citizen Science: Get Involved! Test your skills at native mammal identification and learn more about how to get involved in local conservation projects. (Sunday, March 16, noon to 4pm, Zoology building) Bring Your Own Brain. Discover more about the relationship between the brain and appetite. (Friday, March 21, 6pm, Suttie Centre, Foresterhill Health Campus) Discovery Gallery: A Brief History of Timelines. A talk celebrating the Aberdeen astronomer Sir David Gill. (Thursday, March 20, 7pm, Aberdeen Maritime Museum) Discovery Day at Satrosphere Science Centre. Activities for budding scientists of all ages, including building Lego robots, learning about the science of superheroes, the psychology of emotions and the evolution of the world’s animal population. (Saturday, March 22, 10am to 4pm, Satrosphere Science Centre)
For the full programme of Aberdeen’s National Science and Engineering Week activities, visit www.abdn.ac.uk/engage/ nsew