The education of an astronomical maverick: T. J. J. See and the University of Missouri
Abstract
The educational background of the controversial astronomer Thomas Jefferson Jackson See is recounted. See failed in successive employment and research opportunities; coworkers and superiors apparently were repelled by his intense egotism, his inability to work with others, his refusal to operate within established codes of conduct, and questions arising from both the source and the reliability of his scientific work. See's approach to his scientific career was shaped, to a large degree, by his undergraduate education, and the professional turmoil of his later life was paralleled by his tumultuous career as a student at the University of Missouri, which included bitter political infighting and accusations of plagiarism. Combined with a tendency to make fundamental errors in both observational and theoretical research, See's flaws ultimately cost him his scientific credibility and destroyed his professional career and reputation.
- Publication:
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Journal for the History of Astronomy
- Pub Date:
- August 2004
- DOI:
- 10.1177/002182860403500303
- Bibcode:
- 2004JHA....35..293P
- Keywords:
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- History of Astronomy