Not a Lone Genius

With his unruly hair and rebellious streak, Albert Einstein is often remembered as the genius who worked alone. Unlike those participating in the "big science" projects of today-such as LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory), on which more than a thousand people collaborated to make the first direct detection of gravitational waves-Einstein is perceived as being the sole mind behind some of the greatest discoveries in physics. But according to Diana Kormos-Buchwald , the Robert M. Abbey Professor of History at Caltech, Einstein did not, in fact, work alone. "He was not the genius working in an attic with a pen and paper," she says. "Einstein may not have been working with large teams, but he was deeply embedded in the science community. Colleagues gave him advice and encouragement, but also criticized his work. And he, in turn, was instrumental in guiding and challenging others." Kormos-Buchwald is director of the Einstein Papers Project, a unique and massive undertaking, located at Caltech, and supported by Caltech and Princeton University Press, that is publishing tens of thousands of documents, both scientific and personal, written by Einstein.