Karl Sven Woytek Sas Konkovitch Matthew Kruszelnicki,
AMThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"....
(born 1948 in
HelsingborgHelsingborg Helsingborg Helsingborg ( is a locality and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 91,457 inhabitants in 2005. The population of Helsingborg city is increasing by around 1,700 people every year....
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
) is a
scientistA scientist, in the broadest sense, is any person who engages in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge or an individual that engages in such practices and traditions that are linked to schools of thought or philosophy. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the...
, who is best known as an author and science commentator on
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
. He is usually referred to as
Dr Karl or as
Karl Kruszelnicki.
He holds degrees in
mathematicsMathematics is the science and study of quantity, structure, space, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns, formulate new conjectures, and establish truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions....
,
biomedical engineeringBiomedical engineering is the application of engineering principles and techniques to the medical field. It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve healthcare diagnosis and treatment.Biomedical engineering has only recently...
,
medicineMedicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and
surgerySurgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason...
. He has also studied
astrophysicsAstrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects such as galaxies, stars, planets, exoplanets, and the interstellar medium, as well as their...
,
computer scienceComputer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation, and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems. It is frequently described as the systematic study of algorithmic processes that create, describe and transform...
and
philosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing these questions by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on reasoned...
. He has worked as a
physicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, labourer, roadie for bands, car
mechanicA mechanic is a craftsman who uses tools to repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics, aircraft mechanics, diesel mechanics, and...
, film-maker, hospital scientific officer, biomedical engineer, TV
weathermanWeather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since at least the nineteenth century...
,
taxiA taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire, with a driver, for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
driver and medical doctor.
Kruszelnicki attended high school at Edmund Rice College in Wollongong.
Karl Sven Woytek Sas Konkovitch Matthew Kruszelnicki,
AMThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"....
(born 1948 in
HelsingborgHelsingborg Helsingborg Helsingborg ( is a locality and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 91,457 inhabitants in 2005. The population of Helsingborg city is increasing by around 1,700 people every year....
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
) is a
scientistA scientist, in the broadest sense, is any person who engages in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge or an individual that engages in such practices and traditions that are linked to schools of thought or philosophy. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the...
, who is best known as an author and science commentator on
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
. He is usually referred to as
Dr Karl or as
Karl Kruszelnicki.
He holds degrees in
mathematicsMathematics is the science and study of quantity, structure, space, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns, formulate new conjectures, and establish truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions....
,
biomedical engineeringBiomedical engineering is the application of engineering principles and techniques to the medical field. It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve healthcare diagnosis and treatment.Biomedical engineering has only recently...
,
medicineMedicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and
surgerySurgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason...
. He has also studied
astrophysicsAstrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects such as galaxies, stars, planets, exoplanets, and the interstellar medium, as well as their...
,
computer scienceComputer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation, and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems. It is frequently described as the systematic study of algorithmic processes that create, describe and transform...
and
philosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing these questions by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on reasoned...
. He has worked as a
physicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, labourer, roadie for bands, car
mechanicA mechanic is a craftsman who uses tools to repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics, aircraft mechanics, diesel mechanics, and...
, film-maker, hospital scientific officer, biomedical engineer, TV
weathermanWeather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since at least the nineteenth century...
,
taxiA taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire, with a driver, for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
driver and medical doctor.
Education
Kruszelnicki attended high school at Edmund Rice College in Wollongong. He received a
Bachelor of ScienceA Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years ....
degree, majoring in
physicsPhysics is a natural science; it is the study of matter and its motion through spacetime and all that derives from these, such as energy and force...
and
mathematicsMathematics is the science and study of quantity, structure, space, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns, formulate new conjectures, and establish truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions....
from the
University of WollongongThe University of Wollongong is a public university with approximately 22,000 students, located in the coastal city of Wollongong, which is 80 kilometres south of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia.-History:...
. He completed a Master of Biomedical Engineering degree (MBiomedE) from the
University of New South WalesThe University of New South Wales, also known as UNSW or colloquially as New South, is a university situated in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.The University was founded in 1949...
and also received
Bachelor of Medicine and SurgeryBachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, or in Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae , are the two first professional degrees awarded upon graduation from medical school in medicine and surgery by universities in various countries that follow the...
degrees from the
University of SydneyThe University of Sydney is the oldest university in Australia. It was established in Sydney in 1850. It is a member of Australia's "Group of Eight" universities that are highly ranked in terms of their research performance...
in 1986.
Journalism, TV and radio
Kruszelnicki wrote and presented the first series of
QuantumQuantum was an Australian television show about science and technology that aired on ABC television for 16 years. It aired its last episode on April 26, 2001, and has been replaced by Catalyst.-External links:**...
. He writes a weekly column for
The AgeThe Age is a broadsheet daily newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. The Age was founded by three Melbourne businessmen, the brothers John Cooke and Henry Cooke who had arrived from New Zealand in the 1840s, and Walter Powell...
and the
Sydney Morning Herald newspapers on scientific "mythconceptions". His radio work includes a weekly science
talkbackTalkback may refer to:*Talkback, an album by the Canadian band the Spoons*Talkback, an alternate name for Marvel Comics superhero Chase Stein...
show on
Triple Jtriple J is a nationally-networked, government-funded Australian radio station , mainly aimed at youth...
which attracts up to 300,000 listeners and is available as a podcast. He often helps with other science and education Triple J promotions, such as the
Sleek Geek WeekSleek Geek Week is an annual event in which Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Adam Spencer travel to several destinations around Australia, presenting free talks on the topic of popular science...
roadshow with
Adam SpencerAdam Spencer is an Australian radio presenter and media personality. He first came to fame when he won his round of the comedic talent search Raw Comedy in the mid 1990s...
and Caroline Pegram.
In the UK, he appears on a live weekly late-night link-up on
BBC Radio Five LiveBBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's radio service providing live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
's
Up All NightUp All Night is a programme broadcast on the national radio station BBC Radio 5 Live in the United Kingdom, and is on air between the hours of 1 am and 5 am every night...
, usually with
Rhod SharpRhod Sharp is a Scottish-born broadcaster, best known as a presenter of Up All Night on BBC Radio Five Live.-Biography:After being educated at Perth Academy, the University of Aberdeen and Princeton he entered journalism in 1976 as a trainee at the BBC. He worked for IRN/LBC, Radio Tay and Channel...
(Thursdays 3.00am UK time), answering science questions.
He has had
cameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. Short appearances by film directors, politicians, athletes, musicians, and other celebrities are common. These roles are generally small, and...
s in a number of television series including
PizzaPizza is an Australian comedy television series on the Australian television network, SBS. It has also spun off a feature length movie in 2003, and in 2004 released a highlights video/DVD which also included previously unshown footage and a schoolies exposé theatre show entitled "Fat Pizza"...
(screened on
SBSThe Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
) and
NeighboursNeighbours is a Logie Award-winning Australian soap opera, which began airing in March 1985. The series follows the lives of families who live in the six houses at the end of Ramsay Street, a short cul-de-sac in the fictional middle-class suburb of Erinsborough. Storylines explore the romances,...
. In the
Neighbours episode, he was confused with the
Dr KarlKarl Raymond Kennedy is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, portrayed by Alan Fletcher, who joined the cast in 1994. In the 20th Anniversary Neighbours book, he was named one of five best male characters of all time....
character of that series. In early 2008 he co-hosted a TV series of
Sleek GeeksSleek Geeks is an Australian science television series, hosted by Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Adam Spencer. The six-part series aired from January 3 2008, and was based on Kruszelnicki and Spencer's Sleek Geek Week travelling roadshow, as well as Kruszelnicki's Great Moments in Science broadcasts on...
with Adam Spencer.
Kruszelnicki fronts the
RTAThe Roads and Traffic Authority is a New South Wales government agency responsible for major road infrastructure, licensing of drivers, and registration of motor vehicles. The RTA directly manages State roads and provides funding to local councils for regional and local roads...
microsleepA microsleep is an episode of sleep which may last for a fraction of a second or up to thirty seconds. Often, it is the result of sleep deprivation, mental fatigue, sleep apnea, hypoxia, narcolepsy, or hypersomnia...
awareness campaign and presents segments on
The Weather ChannelThe Weather Channel is an Australian 24 hour cable and satellite channel that broadcasts weather news and information. The Weather Channel is available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.-History:...
.
Criticism
Kruszelnicki has been criticized for a lack of objectivity and the use of unreliable sources with regard to his advocacy of hydrogen-powered automobiles and the use of
hydrogenHydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly flammable diatomic gas with the molecular formula H
2...
as an alternative to fossil fuels.
Ig Nobel Prize
One of Kruszelnicki's most famous undertakings was his part in a research project on belly button fluff, for which he received an
Ig Nobel PrizeThe Ig Nobel Prizes are a parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year in early October for ten achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think"...
.
Politics
Kruszelnicki was an unsuccessful candidate for the
Australian SenateThe Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. The lower house is known as the House of Representatives. Senators, popularly elected under a system of proportional representation, serve terms of six years...
in the 2007 Australian federal election. He was placed number two on the
Climate Change CoalitionThe Climate Change Coalition is an Australian political party, which was formed in 2006 with a view to accelerate action by politicians from all parties on climate change. Its position on working towards addressing climate change, stresses cooperation with big business in order to achieve...
ticket in
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
.
Personal
Kruszelnicki is known for his choice of 'loud' shirts, which are made by his wife,
Dr Mary. His website contains over four million words and receives more than 700,000 page hits per week.
Writing
As of December 2008, Kruszelnicki has written 26 books, along with numerous lecture series (utilising material that often ends up in his books, or vice versa). Some of these lecture series and books have been televised for events such as Science Week, with Dr Karl supplying voice overs, and sometimes appearing in claymation.
- Science is Golden, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia 2008 ISBN 0-7332-8536-4.
Please Explain
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2007, ISBN 0-7322-8535-6.
It Aint Necessarily So Bro
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2006, ISBN 0-7322-8061-3.
Dis Information And Other Wikkid Myths: More Great Myths In Science
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2005, ISBN 0-7322-8060-5.
Great Mythconceptions - Cellulite, Camel Humps and Chocolate Zits
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2004, ISBN 0-7322-8062-1.
Bumbreath, Botox and Bubbles and other Fully Sick Science Moments
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2003, ISBN 0-7322-6715-3.
Dr. Karl's Collection of Great Australian Facts & Firsts
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2002, ISBN 0-207-19860-8.
Q&A With Dr. K - Why It Is So. Headless Chickens, Bathroom Queues and Belly Button Blues
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2001, ISBN 0-7322-5855-3.
Fidgeting Fat, Exploding Meat & Gobbling Whirly Birds - New Moments 4
, 1999.
Munching Maggots, Noah's Flood and TV Heart Attacks and other cataclysmic science moments
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 1998, ISBN 0-7322-5858-8.
Dr Karl's Collection of Great Australian Facts & Firsts
-
- 1.
Ears, Gears and Gadgets
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 1997, ISBN 0-207-19610-9.
2. Forests, Fleece & Prickly Pears
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 1997, ISBN 0-207-19611-7
3. Flight, Food & Thingummygigs
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 1997, ISBN 0-207-19612-5.
Flying Lasers, Robofish and Cities of Slime - and other brain-bending science moments
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 1997, ISBN 0-7322-5874-X
Pigeon Poo the Universe & Car Paint - and other awesome science moments
, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 1996, ISBN 0-7322-5723-9
Sensational Moments in Science
, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Enterprises, Sydney, Australia, 1995, ISBN 0-7333-0456-7'
Absolutely Fabulous Moments in Science
, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Enterprises, Sydney, Australia, 1994, ISBN 0-7333-0407-9
Bizarre Moments in Science
, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Enterprises, Sydney, Australia, 1993, ISBN 0-7333-0210-6
Spacescape
, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, (Australia),1992, ISBN 0729511006
Latest Great Moments in Science, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Enterprises, Sydney, Australia, ISBN 0-7333-0144-4
External links