I decided to research Richard Preston for my author study because I read his book The Hot Zone in my Introduction to Ag Science class in ninth grade. The Hot Zone is about cases of Marburg and Ebola viruses which broke out in Africa. He turns the notes into a story and he publishes it for readers to learn about new things. I have learned a lot about DNA sequencing and the Human Genome Project from reading his work Panic in Level 4.
I would like to know what inspires Richard Preston to write the books so I can get a better understanding of his writing styles. I would like to read more of Preston's works because I am learning about various topics which have come to interest me, such as the Chudnovsky brothers' work towards the calculation of pi, the history of the Human Genome Project, and woven unicorn tapestries. I plan to research these topics in-depth on my own time.
Aaron wrote the following:
ReplyDeletePanic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science
The character(s) I have chosen from this story are David and Gregory Chudnovsky, who work together as one mathematician. The Chudnovsky brothers are most famous for their efforts at computing the number pi’s decimal places and also for assisting the Metropolitan Museum of Art with digitally imaging the “The Hunt of the Unicorn” tapestries. The process was very painstaking and the fact that the Chudnovsky brothers were able to complete this project proves that they have very high intelligence and endless perseverance. In their apartment, they built a supercomputer out of technological parts that they ordered in the mail. The supercomputer heated the apartment up to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Stacks of papers with pages full of digits of pi are abundant in their apartment, which makes getting around very difficult. Gregory and David Chudnovsky are very dedicated to mathematics and have set world records for their computations of pi.
Gregory Chudnovsky has a condition called myasthenia gravis, which is an auto-immune disorder of the muscles. David helps Gregory every day and I admire their ability to work together as one. The two brothers are also close in a way that most twins are; they finish each other’s sentences, but they are not twins. David is Gregory’s older brother, but he also helps Gregory with his condition; sometimes he carries Gregory around so he does not have to walk. Many people think of mathematicians as boring, lacking personality, and other characteristics of that nature, but these two brothers are very close and help each other to succeed, going as far as setting world records.