avg_rating: 3.73
name: Chris McGowan
about: Born in England toward the end of World War II, I grew up during the days of ration books and coal fires. Not the most brilliant pupil at elementary school, I failed my 11-plus exam, relegating me to a “trade” school. But I had good teachers and was captivated by science. I conducted experiments and built things at home. My interests included chemistry, rockets (which more often exploded than flew)and boiling bones to make skeletons.After obtaining a B.Sc. in zoology, I became a full-time high-school teacher. I loved teaching but didn’t want to stay at school forever, so I enrolled as a part-time graduate student at London University, studying palaeontology. Receiving my Ph.D. three years later, in 1969, I moved to Canada to take a position Born in England toward the end of World War II, I grew up during the days of ration books and coal fires. Not the most brilliant pupil at elementary school, I failed my 11-plus exam, relegating me to a “trade” school. But I had good teachers and was captivated by science. I conducted experiments and built things at home. My interests included chemistry, rockets (which more often exploded than flew)and boiling bones to make skeletons.After obtaining a B.Sc. in zoology, I became a full-time high-school teacher. I loved teaching but didn’t want to stay at school forever, so I enrolled as a part-time graduate student at London University, studying palaeontology. Receiving my Ph.D. three years later, in 1969, I moved to Canada to take a position as curator in vertebrate palaeontology at the Royal Ontario Museum. I was later cross-appointed to The University of Toronto as a professor of zoology. My speciality was ichthyosaurs, a group of fish-like reptiles that lived in the sea while dinosaurs roamed the land. Traveling the world to study ichthyosaurs took me to some unlikely places, from a monastery in Kremsmünster to a ghost town in Nevada. I’ve collected fossils in British Columbia, Manitoba, Nevada, the Chihuahuan Desert, and in Egypt.Having enjoyed more than thirty years as a palaeontologist—the best job I can imagine—I took early retirement. Now I spend most of my time writing. I have also worked in radio, writing and presenting two CBC Ideas programs (on Steam and Iron). I have 14 non-fiction books—mostly on science. Concerned over the lack of interest in science among youngsters, I’ve been showing them what fun it can be through my books, like Make Your own Dinosaur out of Chicken Bones. My latest book, Abacus, is a juvenile fiction featuring a 12-year-old science geek, named AP, as hero. Travelling through time with his apathetic older sister, AP uses science to get them out of trouble. Real events are historically correct, and readers can repeat AP’s experiments by following the instructions at the end of the book. ...more