Mario Schenberg

Mário Schenberg was a Brazilian physicist, journalist and science writer who was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1914. He studied engineering at the Escola Politécnica of the University of São Paulo, graduating in 1934. He then worked as a professor and researcher at the same institution, where he founded the Department of Physics in 1936. He also collaborated with the Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas (CBPF) and the Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT). He published many papers on various topics of physics, such as thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, general relativity, astrophysics and mathematics. He was particularly interested in the foundations of quantum theory and the interpretation of quantum phenomena. He also developed a geometric algebra that could unify the different branches of physics and mathematics. He was a close friend and colleague of David Bohm, with whom he discussed the implications of quantum theory for philosophy and psychology. He was also a pioneer of science communication in Brazil, writing a column for the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo for 55 years, where he explained the concepts and discoveries of science and medicine to the general public. He also wrote books and pamphlets on various scientific topics, such as atomic energy, relativity, cosmology, genetics, and evolution. He was one of the founders and presidents of the Sociedade Brasileira para o Progresso da Ciência (SBPC), an organization that promotes scientific research and education in Brazil. He was also a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of the Third World. He received many awards and honors for his contributions to science and society, such as the Order of Scientific Merit from the Brazilian government in 1971, and the Kalinga Prize from UNESCO in 1979. He died of pneumonia in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1990, at the age of 76. He is regarded as one of the most influential and respected Brazilian physicists and science writers, and has inspired many generations of scientists and journalists. ¹