A Rhode Island man is enjoying the fulfillment of a lifetime desire after getting his Ph.D. in physics at the age of 89.
After retiring as a hematologist at Brown University at the age of 70, Manfred Steiner, who earlier received a medical degree and a Ph.D. in biochemistry, claimed he returned to physics.
Steiner stated he had always wanted to study physics but followed his family’s advice and went into medicine instead. He said that his retirement allowed him to begin taking physics studies at Brown University.
As Steiner stated in a Brown University news release, “It’s an old dream that starts in my childhood.”
He added, “I always wanted to become a physicist.”
According to Steiner he only attended one or two classes every week until he graduated.
He tells the media, “So, I went to all the classes and eventually, I made it on to graduate school and I thought, ‘Why not continue now? I might as well get a Ph.D.’”
The “precision” of physics, according to Steiner, is what drives his interest in the subject.
He added, “In medicine, I always felt there were so many variables.”
“In physics, there are some variables, a lot of them actually, but you can go to a precision that is unmatched anywhere in the other scientific world.”
After successfully defending his thesis, “Corrections to the Geometrical Interpretation of Bosonization,” Steiner was given his degree.
Steiner has shown interest in attending Brown’s commencement ceremony in May.
“Even though I am old, I would like to continue with physics. And even after writing and publishing this paper, I want to continue my research,” he added, “I always tried to keep my brain sharp. Physics certainly helped me do that.”