Description
Meet Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr. John Mather and discover how curiosity, perseverance, and failure shaped a career that changed our understanding of the universe.
Visit our Educator Guide for standards, lessons, and classroom activities. https://s.si.edu/SS_EG_YT
Be sure to check out the other videos in this series: https://s.si.edu/3VfQ1Ms
Subscribe and turn on notifications 🔔 so you don't miss any videos from Air and Space: https://s.si.edu/3rnWsfq
What inspires someone to become one of the world's most accomplished scientists? Dr. John Mather shares how his love of reading in middle school led him to a career exploring the biggest questions in science.
From a failed graduate school experiment to winning the Nobel Prize in Physics, Mather explains why setbacks are an essential part of scientific discovery. He also discusses helping confirm the Big Bang through NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) mission and his work as Senior Project Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope.
Perfect for middle school classrooms, this interview encourages students to embrace curiosity, think like scientists, and understand that failure is often the first step toward success.
On Air is made possible by the generous support of Amazon, Boeing and the Hexcel Foundation.
This video is part of the National Air and Space Museum’s monthly theme, the Solar System. Be sure to check out the other videos in this collection.
🪐 Setting the Scene: https://s.si.edu/3Tlh34d
⁉️ Museum Connection: https://s.si.edu/4y4PhIt
🍎 Teacher Tips: https://s.si.edu/4iI4cn4
🎥Credits🎞️
Featuring
John Mather
Production Team
Jon Boyette
Ashley Dabbraccio
Callan Beideman
Marty Kelsey
Beth Wilson
Victoria Orozco
Special Thanks
Erika Novak
Beth Crownover
The full transcript of this video can be found on the Educator Guide: https://s.si.edu/SS_EG_YT
On Air is a free educational series for students produced by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. We cover all the cool, fun, and weird ways that aviation and spaceflight touch our lives. Visit the website to learn more: https://bit.ly/OnAirWebsite_YT
Interested in more free, teacher-friendly educational content? Subscribe to the National Air and Space Museum’s Teacher Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/si/on-air-resources
Be sure to follow On Air and the National Air and Space Museum at:
On Air Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASMOnAir
X: https://x.com/airandspace
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airandspace
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/airandspacemuseum
#Smithsonian #NationalAirandSpaceMuseum #NASM #LessonPlan #TeacherResources #Teacher #Lesson #AirAndSpace #STEM #STEAM #Classroom #NGSS #Standards #Captions #Captioned #STEMin30 #Education #MiddleSchool #OnAir #Museum #MyPath #AirAndSpaceMuseum #JohnMather #ScienceEducation #STEM #MiddleSchoolScience #NASA #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #Astronomy #SpaceScience #Teachers #ScienceTeacher #NGSS #BigBang #STEMEducation #NationalAirAndSpaceMuseum #Smithsonian
00:00 Introduction
00:22 Middle School
0:51 Failure
01:30 What is a Scientist
01:50 Nobel Prize
02:10 James Webb