Applications physicist and Nobel laureate Eric Betzig, a physics Ph.D. that greatly promotes the neurobiology study process, has ever dubbed by his wife---do not understand the chemistry but has won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He has made many major breakthroughs in the field of optical imaging technology, which makes the physiological processes within living cells becomes possible and also improves the process of chemistry services in other fields.
Betzig was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan; now he is 56 years old. He received his BS in physics at Caltech in 1983 and received a doctorate in engineering physics from Cornell University in 1988. He ever set a goal to use the resolution (i.e, ultra-high resolution) for the observation of in vivo biological imaging when he was in graduate school. It was a wishful thinking at that time but he made great efforts for realizing the goal.
After obtaining a doctorate, he worked at Bell Labs’ semiconductor physics research department to continue his doctoral thesis research, and he has developed the first super-resolution optical microscopy, called Near-field Scanning Optical Microscope. This microscope not only greatly improves the resolution of conventional optical microscopes, but also for the first time to observe the imaging of single cells and molecules at room temperature, with a positioning accuracy of 12nm. At Bell Labs, he also engaged in low-temperature microscope technology with his scientist friends Harald Hess, attempting to study the use of irradiation spectrum of cellular and molecular imaging. He said that the most important source of power for scientific research is to follow his dream.
As a Nobel laureate, he said that the pursuit of winning research is harmful because scientific research achievement is objective while the awards are subjective, which merely represents the opinion from one of the awards committee, even the Nobel Prize. If you put winning as the incentive to work, then your driving force is wrong.
He also said that the researchers should care for their own reputation because there is nothing more important than your reputation. We must work honestly, treat people fairly, otherwise there could be retribution. The reputation is the most important asset which should be taken good maintenance.
He said, “chemistry knows me, but I do not know chemistry". Although awards committee gave him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry he actually doesn’t understand chemistry. Self-definition he has ever made is like this: I am not a physicist, not a chemist, not a biologist engineer. I’m a optical engineer, developing tools for biologist and help them see the molecule in vivo.
Betzig has given his advice on mass young scientists: Do not be afraid to take risks; Do not catch others’ ride just because of pursuit of security; Try to explore your own path.
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