by Tom Clynes
Spectrum Techniques, 44–45
sports, 12, 73, 74, 81, 117–18
Sputnik, 23, 24, 26, 82, 138
Stanley, Julian, 116
star, birth of a, 202–6
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), 24, 26, 116, 127, 163, 187, 237, 278
Stong, C. L., 20, 78, 79
strong nuclear force, 103, 130, 183–4
strontium, 29, 40, 44, 263
Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth, 116, 119–20, 279
sun, 97, 98, 101, 103, 183, 194, 204
T
technetium, 43, 136, 246–48
TED talks, 31, 137, 237, 260, 264, 270
terrorism, 13, 14, 52, 67, 127, 220. See also neutron detectors, Taylor’s portable
tests, standardized, 116, 133–34, 156, 162, 276, 278
Texarkana, Arkansas: culture, 10, 228; description, 28, 138; Public Library, 14, 19, 33; and the Wilson family, 6–7, 11, 28, 161, 269, 277; yoga studio, 6, 11, 161
Texas Middle School, 64, 135–36, 152
theft, of radioactive materials, 59–60, 220–21
Thiel, Peter, 249, 251
Thiel Fellowship, 249, 251, 257
Thomson, J. J., 54, 165
tokamak, 104, 105, 131, 262, 265
Torrance, E. Paul, 106–7
transmutation, 66–67, 68–69, 77–80, 98
U
United Nuclear Scientific Supplies, 88
United States: Cold War, 23, 32, 125, 215–17, 277; decreased academic skill within, 127, 141, 278; fusion research, 104, 106, 109; nuclear weapons program, 143–44, 146, 215–17; space program, xi, 22, 23–24, 105–6, 125, 138
University of Nevada–Reno (UNR): and Davidson Academy, 155, 161, 163, 165, 166, 167, 281; humanities courses, 164–65; Nevada Terawatt Facility, 191, 261; shutdown of Taylor’s fusor, 207–10
uranium, 3–7, 9, 34–35, 42–44, 49–59, 65, 67, 88, 91–94, 101, 135, 142–43, 206, 207, 217–19, 223, 265
U.S. Department of Education, 110–11
U.S. Department of Energy, 191, 222
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 88, 222, 225, 242
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 58, 171
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 55, 215
U.S. Navy, 123
U.S. Space and Rocket Center, xi–xii, 22–23, 26–27
V
vacuum: challenges to create, 88–89, 124, 134, 144–45, 152, 184, 186; high-vacuum chamber, 173, 186–87, 202
Van de Graaff, Robert, 77
Van de Graaff generator, 77, 84, 86–88
von Braun, Wernher, 22–26, 83, 106, 167
W
Wai, Jonathan, 116, 118
Walenta, Elizabeth, 161, 165–66, 185, 195, 206, 232
waste, radioactive/nuclear, 60, 101, 102, 145, 147, 264
water: heavy, 88–90; radioactive, 4–5, 54–55, 94, 238, 258, 264; water-based neutron detector, 223–24, 225
weapons: atomic bomb development, 46, 143–44, 146, 147; ballistic missiles, 23, 31; Broken Arrow accidents, 215–17; cruise missiles, 215; dirty bombs, 147, 221; Father of All Bombs, 227, 230; Hiroshima bomb, 60, 145, 146, 170; hydrogen bombs, 146, 216, 217–20; of mass destruction, 91; Mother of All Bombs, 227; Nagasaki bomb, 60, 145, 146, 147; for nonmilitary projects, 215; Star Wars laser, 191; uranium in, 44, 91–92, 94; U.S. nuclear weapons program, 143–44, 146, 215–17
Willis, Carl: background, 149; career, 143; collectibles, radioactive, 150–51; fusor by, 98, 150; and Fusor.net, 123, 134; High Energy Amateur Science, 124, 131–31; home, 149–51, importance of hands-on science, 128; as mentor, 92, 94, 108–9, 142–49, 152, 205, 215, 217–20; physical description, 143
Wilson, Forrest (great-grandfather), 11
Wilson, Joey (brother): childhood, 10, 231–31; and Davidson Academy, 156, 161, 166–67, 180, 250–51; as a gifted child, 133–34, 156, 231; learning through testing, 133; mathematics prodigy, 31, 73, 133–34, 152, 166, 231; personality, 8, 31, 64, 231; relationship with Taylor, 31–46, 64–65, 180–81, 230–31, 231; skills and interests, 75, 166–67, 231; social interaction, 180, 250, 269
Wilson, Kenneth (father), 6, 12–13, 32, 66. See also Ashlee (sister); Coca-Cola bottling plant; parenting
Wilson, Nelda (grandmother), 12
Wilson, Ramon (grandfather), 12, 87
Wilson, Taylor Ramon: collectibles, radioactive, 53, 55–56, 77, 94–95, 263; entrepreneurship by, 248–49, 251, 259; future plans, 45, 228–29, 237, 238, 248–49, 256–57, 269; learning style, 46, 47, 74, 75, 129, 185–86, 187, 188; life events (See Wilson, Taylor Ramon, life events); as a mentor, 268; notoriety, 224–25, 237–44, 245, 251, 261, 264; physical description, 3; potential of science, 271–71; singing, 13–14, 30, 31, 36, 134; social interaction, 30–31, 50, 135, 162, 180, 194; vision and belief in success, xiii, 134, 153, 202, 206, 256, 270
Wilson, Taylor Ramon, life events: birth, 10, 7; preschool years, 7–8; through 5th grade, xi, 13–14, 20, 28–29, 34, 6th grade, 39, 43, 45, 50, 66; grandmother’s death, 96, 134; middle school, 135–36, 152 (See also Texas Middle School); high school, 156–57, 161 (See also Davidson Academy); first operation of his fusor, 202–6; visit with Obama, 237–38; driver’s license, 261
Wilson, Tiffany (mother), 6, 10–13, 28, 64, 75, 134, 156, 161. See also parenting
Winner, Ellen, 72, 110, 111, 120, 137, 139, 152, 189, 233
Winterberg, Friedwardt, 156–57, 167–69, 182, 187, 207
working-memory capacity, 114–15
X
x-rays, 48–49, 56, 58, 79, 150–51, 201, 260
Y
yellowcake, 91–94, 96–97, 171, 272
Young Scholars Program, 154, 280
Yu, Chuck, 253–55
Z
Zuckerberg, Mark, xiv, 120
About the Author
TOM CLYNES writes regularly for National Geographic and Popular Science, where he is a contributing editor. His work has also appeared in Men’s Journal, Nature, New York, the Sunday Times Magazine (London), the Washington Post, and many other publications.
Footnotes
1. Shelly is a pseudonym; the student requested that her real name not be used.
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