Author Sam Kean to speak to grad students about his career path

In celebration of graduate student appreciation week, students are invited to hear Sam Kean, New York Times best-selling author of Caesar’s Last Breath, The Dueling Neurosurgeons, The Disappearing Spoon and The Violinist’s Thumb, speak about his books, his career path and the challenges authors face. 

Kean turns complex scientific facts and research into nonfiction stories that are not just understandable, but are also engaging and fun. Kean, who grew up wanting to be a scientist, had never planned to become a writer. When the realization hit that he didn’t want a science career, he was concerned he was too far down that path to turn around.  

“I decided to change paths completely,” he said. “It would have been helpful for me to know that’s fairly common and happens to a lot of people in college. But I didn’t know that at the time. I was convinced that since I’d started in science, I had to continue with science when that actually wasn’t the case. I had more freedom to choose and change than I originally assumed.”

Kean had been focused on being a scientist for so long that it felt like he suddenly didn’t know who he was anymore. If he wasn’t a scientist, who was he? Was it too late to change his mind?

Not wanting to give up science completely, Kean merged it with his interest in storytelling. He kept his physics major and added a major in English literature at the University of Minnesota, later earning a master’s degree in library science from Catholic University of America.

With science as the common thread throughout his stories, Kean weaves in politics, lust, revenge, money, art, war and poison into his articles and books. 

Kean’s first book, The Disappearing Spoon, integrated quirky facts and anecdotes about the periodic table, such as why Gandhi hated iodine and how radium nearly ruined Marie Curie’s reputation. The premise was to find a funny, strange or unusual story about every element on the periodic table and to present what could be dry scientific facts as entertaining, readable stories about human life. His new book, The Bastard Brigade, comes out this summer.

“If you look at it in the right way, science has something to say about all aspects of human life,” he said. “It makes learning about science easier. I try to illustrate different aspects of science history and to humanize science.”

His stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Best American Science and Nature Writing, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, The New Scientist and Psychology Today, among others. His work has been featured on NPR’s Radiolab, Science Friday and All Things Considered.

“Stories are a good way to learn about science because that’s the way humans remember information the best, Kean said. “A story with characters we care about and villains we don’t, conflict and drama and all those things that make a good story, help us to remember information better in that form.”

Kean will speak at 4 p.m. April 2 in the Center for Academic Success and Engagement. Reception to follow. For more information, go to Spoons and Thumbs event page. Please RSVP to jeffery.willett@colorado.edu.