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Stephen Hawking Born in Oxford, and went to University College at Oxford at age 11. Studied physics there, and would get an honors degree after three years. At age 20, moved on to University of Cambridge, Dept of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics to do research in cosmology (he’s director of research there today). From there, it was one academic honor after another, working on the basic laws that govern the universe. All sorts of discoveries on black holes and other phenomena. In 1963, Hawking was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) shortly after his 21st birthday. In spite of being wheelchair-bound and dependent on a computerized voice system for communication, he’s been able to combine family life (three children and three grandchildren) with a lifetime of research into theoretical physics, in addition to an extensive travel and public lectures. He hopes to make it into space one day.

Accomplished Author and Lecturer One of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history, he’s also a great communicator -- via Lectures and Writings. Lectures with such titles as: “Space and Time Warps”, “The Beginning of Time”, “The Origin of the Universe”, and “Into a Black Hole.” He’s also written numerous books exploring some of his theories. Books such as “The Universe in a Nutshell” and “The Grand Design.” Perhaps his best known book is A Brief History of Time, written to help non-scientists understand fundamental questions of physics and our existence: Where did the universe come from? How and why did it begin? Will it come to an end, and if so, how? He’s also written a series of children’s books with his daughter Lucy, about George and Annie, a pair of middle school cosmologists. He’s revered as one of the greatest scientists ever, on par with Einstein, Galileo, and others we learn about in school.

Communicates via Software and Voice Synthesizer For 50 years, he has traveled the world, sharing ground-breaking research in lectures on time and space, and the laws governing the universe. He cannot speak at all; relies instead on HIGH-TECH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY. Hawking uses a tablet computer mounted to his wheelchair to communicate, with custom software that enables him to articulate thoughts and ideas by moving a muscle in his cheek. (Describe the technology) The software provides a keyboard on the screen and a cursor scans it automatically -- row by row -- on that screen. He selects a character by moving his cheek, which is detected by an infrared camera mounted on his glasses. It uses a word prediction algorithm, so usually only has to type a couple characters before he can select the whole word.

He talks about astrophysics in ways that anyone can relate to... He attracts diverse audiences, people of all ages and education levels, and holds them spellbound. AN OUTSTANDING COMMUNICATOR

Hawking…. The extraordinary story of the world’s most famous scientist. In a 2013 documentary film -- available on his website at http://www.hawking.org.uk/ -- he tells his life story, in his own words. The movie, titled “Hawking” is the extraordinary story of the planet's most famous living scientist, told for the first time in his own words and by those closest to him. Director Stephen Finnigan presents an intimate and moving journey into Professor Hawking's world, both past and present. He continues his work today, at age 76.

“Quiet People Have the Loudest Minds.” Hawking Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom At the White House with Obama on Aug. 12, 2009 Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 (with one of his more famous quotes)

John Oliver Interviews Stephen Hawkings Great Minds People Who Think Good at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8y5EXFMD4s First in a series on “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8y5EXFMD4s