Tomas Lindahl credits his mentors and teachers at his school for encouraging his interest in Chemistry. Lindahl made his speech at the Nobel Banquet in Stockholm on December 10, 2015.
I remember my first chemistry class in form 2. The teacher walks in and says it doesn't make sense for half of you to even be in this class. She turned out to be a really nice person and great teacher but that was a traumatic introduction for 13 year olds. The school is the second seeded male secondary school in the country so the worst student was probably like #400 in the country from the secondary entrance exam. I also had a history teacher come into one of my maths classes once. I had written a garbage paper on the Cuban revolution and she very straightforwardly asked, "what garbage is this," in front of the entire class. I managed to get a 1 in that subject and she's one of my favourite teachers ever. Up until that moment I had never been singled out by a teacher for subpar work and realised I needed to improve.
My physics teacher called me dumb and asked me not to pursue my education in physics field. I chose physics and now I'mma get my doctorate in it. Never lose hope ppl. Work hard.
Sure, my teacher also. I fell in love at first sight with Chemistry. I said to my teacher. This is great, I would like to pursue this subject at A-level. (Age 16-18). However, although the period of 16-18 was difficult for me, I returned to education age 21 and clung to Chemistry actually as something, I could do. Unfortunately, yes. Perhaps he was right. Because my politics and law often brings me down. In medicine it's political. Although, I love men's health. I feel excluded. I can be the student perhaps but when it comes to money. These things are hard. The mainstream, and obvious choices of career are competitive in a hundred ways. Where, in taking a strange path sometimes it's an easier road!
I got a C in my first chemistry class and the professor failed me in a graduate MPH computer data course. Now I'm on my way to medical school. Every step is a finish line - Richard Mcpeak
I've failed in math once, and nearly failed in math and physics, now I'm the best in my class on each of those subjects, and I'll pursue a physics and math doctorate
My high school physics teacher told me " everything is written neatly in your book, but there's nothing in your head". Today, I'm a tenured Physics prof, and work really hard on my teaching. My students have gone on to win academic awards, and have been selected for nationally competitive research projects.
I love it. I also got told, "I wouldn't expect anything better from you" by my high school math teacher after he handed me a test I failed. Today, I just rimmed my asshole with my index finger and gave it a good whiff. Shit is rank.
See people just because you fail a class, that doesn't mean you will automatically be bad at it, in fact you might even someday win a Nobel prize in that subject. #inspiration #legend #nevergiveup
@Kiwi Korea I know how it feels. In primary school I had this one Maths teacher who used to tell me how stupid I was and when I'd ask about something in a lesson he'd reply with "don't bother" or "it doesn't interest you" with that smug dismissive hand gesture. I always thought I was stupid and "bad at maths" as so many people do. But with time and after meeting great teachers (including my father) I've grown to love maths and what it's capable of and I'm just finishing my Master's in Applied Mathematics & Data Science/AI which I'm very passionate about. Only difference between you and me is you're a bigger man that I am because I really fucking hate that guy.
I failed Calculus in highschool becaue of a bad teacher... In college I got a B in calc 2, which is hard to learn and got an A in Linear Algebra!!! A good teacher makes all the difference... And self-confidence
Good teachers are really important . They can create or break interests of students in that subject. They have the power to make students either fall in love or hate that subject
I'm studing chemistry, i wasn't sure to continue with this path of studing but when i see how this man thanks his professors i can't help but think of a future in which I will thank my mentors too in such a way
I used to fail at math at school. Now I'm considering doing my PhD in math/operations research. Why was this recommended to me? I mean.... RU-vid's algorithm can't be THAT good, guys! oO
I also was predicted to fail in Chemistry. I had 6 months left to get at least a pass, even if my grade would remain drastically underwhelming. I paid for tuition, I put in the hours, I sacrificed so much of my free time just so I can turn up to the exam feeling the most confident I had done in 2 years. Still failed lmao.
You should never expect anything from chemistry . The subject is freaking unpredictable . This year I gave exam , I was sure I will score good in physics and was hoping not to get failed in chemistry . I ended up getting more marks in chemistry than in physics and I don't even know how .
i hated my school life still do, teachers were worst than bullies. It is one of a kind of profession where people can screw up other's life without anyone noticing. If you are a teacher please asses if you are doing a good job.
it already is. a metal brick can make my voice reach thousands of kilometres away Add a glass and it becomes a book, a mirror, an ever changing piece of block on its own
Even I failed in Medical Chemistry in 2019, and 1 year has passed since then. Earlier back then, i was so highly depressed and felt miserable for losing a year. It was distressing to see my class friends getting promoted. But Mr Tomas Lindahl motivated me, I am grateful that i came across this video. His speech gave me the motivation. Thank you sir. You proved failures dont define you, and you went on to win the Nobel prize in Chemistry.
It’s just about impossible to overestimate the importance of a really good teacher. The one who gets you through a class for which you don’t have much aptitude. Or the teacher who recognizes your talent and pushes you to really develop it. The one who ignites rather than stifles curiosity, even if the object of that curiosity is unpopular.
We all have teachers who fail us and continue on with their work but there are teachers who take the time to inspire you and help you achieve greater things. Both experiences are needed for one to make the choice in which their future will stand. Don’t give up on what you’re passionate about, you’ll make an impact on younger generations to come no matter how big or small you’re accomplishments may seem.
My English teacher in school threatened to call my parents to school because I wrote 'bitchface' in a story for an exam. I asked her to tell me a replacement word for it and that I did not know any other word for that word. She called me a failure and said that I would never do anything in life. My teachers in school never gave me anything more than 40s. Their hatred was so blatant that you could feel it. Well, I am pursuing masters in English and am the top in class right now. So, if anyone is feeling down because of your teachers, don't start questioning yourself and hating yourself like I had done. You will do much better later on in life.❤❤
Bruh. You’re mad because a teacher called you out for using a swear word? That’s what they’re supposed to do 💀. I’m a strong believer that curse words aren’t any worse than other words, but that’s school rules. You should’ve just known not to use bitch in a paper lmaoo. But that’s great for you. Glad you’re doing good :) keep up the hard work.
He's only talking about himself to raise awareness for the importance of science education. And this modesty seems so natural with him that you don't doubt it for a moment. What an elegant, inspiring hero of science.
One of the best surveyors I would ever meet failed his surveying class twice I guess that's what it took for him to take it serious. Later he became world renowned and he played a part in some very important construction work around the world
In the famous words of Stephen Hawking, "People who boast about their IQs are losers." The average probably isn't that high-- yes, having a high IQ is unquestionably useful when you're in school, especially primary to secondary (elementary to high) and in some degrees/courses up until you get your master's, but you have to look at what IQ actually measures. There's a thousand different "correct" answers to any IQ test question you can find, but only one is ever measured to be objectively correct. Essentially, getting a high score for an IQ test is just confirming that you think how people _think_ smart people think. Sounds kind of useless when broken down in that way. More importantly, having a high IQ could be detrimental to a researcher-- the very thing that separates Tomas Lindahl from other less decorated researchers in his field is that he had an idea none of them had. He thought in a way which someone was _not_ expected to think. Huge numbers are thrown around declaring that people like Newton or Einstein or da Vinci had crazy genius IQs-- even though these people never took IQ tests. If Newton went into an IQ test designed by a typical intellectual in the 17th century and used calculus to solve the patterns, I'd be surprised if he got even an average score. There's no way whoever was marking his paper (except maybe if it was Leibniz) would recognize that Newton was a genius. By all intents and purposes, they'd view him as an absolute fool. Similarly, if you were to ask someone from the 16th century what they though Copernicus' IQ was, you'd probably not end up with those startling figures that journalists like to make up. Scientists do have higher IQs as a whole, because they're the most educated of us. They have the most experience with mathematics and problem solving. However, in science, sometimes it's not knowing about the *obvious* answer, or the answer that the IQ test tells you is correct, it's about thinking of that *one* thing that nobody else has every thought of. There's a reason why weirdos and misfits so often end up in our science textbooks: people who think wonky make for good scientists. People with high IQs make for good statisticians, and accountants, and economists-- which are all good jobs in their own right. But to say a high IQ is required or even useful in science is dumb. A high IQ will help you in school. A high IQ is a good thing to have as a resource-- it means you know how _other people think_ and that's useful. Relying on a high IQ or thinking it'll get you through life or that anyone with an IQ above 190 is going to change the world is dumb. Attaching someone's value to their ability to _calculate the same answer as a group of test makers_ for a question with _more than one valid answer_ is stupid. Is that room filled with a ton of intelligent people? Of course. But IQ isn't a way of measuring intelligence. Right now, there is no real valid way of measuring intelligence. And honestly, it shouldn't matter. Your value does not rely on intelligence. If a man who had an IQ of 80 discovered Calculus, it'd still be the same Calculus that Isaac Newton and Leibniz discovered. Newton and Leibniz never _took_ IQ tests: we just assume "Yes, they must have had great IQs because they were great scientists." If they took a modern day IQ tests they could be scoring IQs in the 60s for all we knew, however unlikely. In any case, everybody in that room has something more significant to them than what they potentially scored in a made-up glorified maths test. A _subjective_ maths test which is marked objectively.
When you were young and Not that Focused , the Teacher that Failed you Was A Good and Authentic Human being ! And Intelligent Student would take it as a Warning Sign and Worked on that subject much Harder ! However, LEARNING IS THE MOST SELFISH THING in a way !!
chemistry teachers are the meanest people ever. i had a professor that would yell at you whenever you would ask him a question in lab and i was doing good in the class but i was never able to approach him in class because he would yell, i ended up dropping his class and retaking it another semester.
In high school I had a math teacher that was discouraging and told me I wasn’t smart enough to continue to the next years honors course. Now Im only a year away in finishing my degree in mechanical engineering, with a great gpa at a prestigious university. I’ve completed more math than she has and I can confidently say that she was unsupportive and incorrect :)
Tradition and ceremonial routines is something that you don't expect from an event for scientific achievements, but here we are! I guess we are just humans!
So inspiring and how important good teachers are. My science teachers at school said I should give up science as I didn’t have the aptitude. Yet one chemistry teacher later on encouraged my hard work and now I’ve just got my biochemistry degree! Keep going no matter what!
My English teacher in prep school told me I’d never get an A grade in English.... four years later I won the school medal for distinction in Eng.Lit. Success is the best revenge
I have a very good chemistry teacher. She makes difficult concepts easy and she teaches us how to understand the concepts rather than mugging up. I hope everyone get a chemistry teacher like her. A good teacher can make you love the subject and a bad teacher can make you hate the subject.
Thank you. Very true that mentors are very important for our career. But if not lucky enough to have them in live, I think mentors in books are also very crucial to achieve our goal.
Nobel laureates are some of the greatest humans of planet earth they inspire the whole human race to be their best selves in so many ways. I have always loved chemistry, it has always fascinated me, appealed to me in such a way no ther subjects ever could but life brought me to dental school, 4 years in my heart still longs for a subject I will never get the opportunity to study and do something on. Seeing a great man like him talking about his own life and what brought him to this great fulfilment is really inspiring for many hopeless students who have almost lost their way, so thank you.
*My Chemistry teacher refused to punish me when I kept failing the subject. He believed I could be successful and Chemistry wasn't going to get me there.*
I remembered many of my profs said they failed or nearly failed the current subject they’re teaching, yet here they are. (They are profs from the engineering department and really good. The ones who told us about this usually have more tips on overcoming the subject)
I just wanted to say thanks for this video. I am a chemistry teacher and show this video to my students. I spend class time convincing them that they need to win a nobel prize. At 13 years old I want to stretch their idea of what they can do in the future.
I appreciate the woo's at the high school Bromma gymnasium mention. A few of the volunteer graduate students there probably attended Bromma when they were younger.
😂 true but the effect of word said by your teachers be it good/positive or bad/negative has a greater impact on your life , either it builds you up or crumbles you up completely and this gentleman right here just took it by excelling in the subject...won a noble prize ❤
So inspiring video! I have showed and will show this video to my students. It is not about whether we are clever, it is about whether we are confused. Yes, we are all clever unless the opposite was proven by the team of medical professionals. Unfortunately, some people (if not many) do not recognize the difference between cleverness and confusion.
My high school counselor told me I didn’t have what it takes to make it through engineering school. That has given me more fuel to succeed than anything else lol.
Imagine what the teacher didn't fail him and he didn't transfer back to his old school and didn't get the inspiration from the teacher he like ... Everything happened for a reason.
He didn't blame the teacher. What he meant was, despite being a bad at the subject and failing it, he eventually improved thanks to a good teacher. The moral of the story has nothing to do with the teacher that failed him.
I am from a third world country.I feel this guy what he is saying.I also failed chemistry because of poor teaching. My chem teacher was the worst anyone could have wished for.
I am very glad to learn about the Swedish contribution to the macromolecular chemistry of Deoxyribonucleic Acid. It makes me want to learn Swedish well enough to grasp what was thought by that professor of whom the speaker reminisced about in anecdote.
Something similar happened to me. My primary school teacher gave me a 9/10 in maths. The next years I went on to represent my country on the IMO. Who's laughing now?
Same thing happened to me sans the Nobel Prize. Charles Mortimer (chemistry professor) wrote the book we were using freshman year college and he would read verbatim from his book and expect you to understand. Most boring lecture to date. He told me to change majors. I was not impressed with his performance either. Came back that summer to retake Chem1 and got an A. I think the right teacher can make the world of difference.
I try to stay awake in Chemistry class, but I couldn't...I usually struggle to stay awake. It was one of the scariest moment in my life...because I know I'm going to fail the test...or nearly fail it. It was the same as advance math 😱
My chemistry teacher took my side and saved when my lab assistant was about kick me out. What did I do? Didn't blow off the match stick properly and throw it into the bin which had many waste litmus, tissues in it.
I feel that, for someone whose goal in life involves making academic progress for humanity, a good teacher/mentor is as important as a dear best friend, and eventually, they become both.
Great speech and a witty anecdote there! Reminds me of when Jack Nicholson won his first Oscar, for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". In his acceptance speech, he mentioned his (former?) agent who said that "he had no business becoming an actor"!
