• Question: where any of your ancesters scientists

    Asked by becksblowup to Ahmed, Francesca, George, James, Nitheen on 10 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: James Sullivan

      James Sullivan answered on 10 Nov 2014:


      Prof. W.K. Sullivan was the first professor of Chemistry in Newman’s Catholic University (1854) – which later became UCD.

      But he was no relation to me.

      As far as I know none of my ancestors were scientists.

    • Photo: Ahmed Osman

      Ahmed Osman answered on 10 Nov 2014:


      unfortunately NO, however I am from Egypt and as you know they built the pyramids and they have the secret of Embalming till now , so may be I have some genes from them 🙂

    • Photo: Francesca Paradisi

      Francesca Paradisi answered on 10 Nov 2014:


      Yes! My mom is a biologist and my grandfather, while he did not go to college and had no formal scientific training, when he was in the army during WW2 was nicknamed “The Doctor” as he was very skilled with first aid and helped many fellow soldiers using what little they had available. He seemed to know about medical plants that would help with minor infections for example. I loved when he was telling me these stories (he would always only tell me “good” stories, nothing much about the war itself).

    • Photo: George Dowson

      George Dowson answered on 11 Nov 2014:


      Both my grandfathers were engineers and my father was an architect and surveyor before he retired and my mother (and her mother too) was a nurse before I was born.

      So yes if you consider engineers as scientists which you probably should!
      My father’s father developed the original Mini (car) so I’m not the first inventor in the family but I am the first PhD doctor that we are aware of.

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