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Derek Muller

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Derek Muller
VeritasiumYouTube channel logo
Derek Muller atTED@Sydney, 2012
Personal information
Born
Derek Alexander Muller

(1982-11-09)9 November 1982(age 41)
Traralgon,Victoria, Australia
Nationality
Other namesVeritasium
Education
OccupationScience communicator
SpouseRaquel Nuno
Websiteveritasium.com
YouTube information
Channels
  • "Veritasium".YouTube.
  • "2veritasium".YouTube.
  • "Sciencium".YouTube.
LocationLos Angeles
Years active2010–present
Genre(s)Science, education
Subscribers
  • 16.1 million (Veritasium)
  • 571 thousand (2veritasium)
  • 321 thousand (Sciencium)
Total views
  • 2.7 billion (Veritasium)
  • 22.9 million (2veritasium)
  • 6.59 million (Sciencium)
100,000 subscribers
  • 2011 (Veritasium)
  • 2014 (2veritasium)
  • 2017 (Sciencium)
1,000,000 subscribers2013 (Veritasium)
10,000,000 subscribers2021 (Veritasium)
TelevisionCatalyst,Bill Nye Saves the World,Uranium – Twisting the Dragon's Tail,Vitamania
Awards
  • First prize,Science OnlineCyberscreen Science Film Festival (2012)
  • Australian Webstream Awards for Best Educational & Lifestyle Series (2013)
  • Sigma XiHonorary Member (2014)[1]
  • Eureka Prize for Science Journalism (2016)
  • Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award for outstanding contributions to physics and effectively communicating those contributions to physics educators (2016)
  • Australian Department of Innovation Nanotechnology film competition
  • Streamy Award(2017) for "Best Science and Education Channel, Show, or Series"[2]
Last updated:19 March 2024

Derek Alexander Muller(born 9 November 1982)[3]is a South African–Australianscience communicatorand media personality, best known for hisYouTubechannelVeritasium,which has over 16 million subscribers and 2.75 billion views as of September 2024.[4]

Early life and education

[edit]

Muller was born to South African parents inTraralgon,Victoria,Australia.His family moved toVancouver,British Columbia,Canada, when he was 18 months old.[3]In 2000, Muller graduated fromWest Vancouver Secondary School.[5]In 2004, Muller graduated fromQueen's UniversityinKingston, Ontario,with aBachelor of Applied Sciencein Engineering Physics.[6]

Muller moved to Australia to study film-making; however, he instead enrolled for a Ph.D. inphysics education researchfrom theUniversity of Sydney,which he completed in 2008 with a thesis:Designing Effective Multimedia for Physics Education.[7]

Career

[edit]

Muller has been listed as a team member of theABC'stelevision programCatalystsince 2008.[8]

During his Ph.D. program, he taught at a tutoring company, where he became the full-time Science Head after completing his Ph.D. in 2008. He quit the job at the end of 2010.[3]

In 2011, Muller created hisYouTube channel"Veritasium" (see section below), which became his main source of livelihood within a few years.[3]

Since 2011, Muller has continued to appear onCatalyst,reporting scientific stories from around the globe,[9]and on Australian television networkTenas the 'Why Guy' on theBreakfastprogram.[10]In May 2012, he gave aTEDxSydney talkusing the subject of his thesis.[11]He presented the documentaryUranium – Twisting the Dragon's Tail,which aired in July–August 2015 on several public television stations around the world and won theEureka Prize for Science Journalism.[12][13]

On 21 September 2015, Muller hosted theGoogle Science FairAwards Celebration for that year.[14]

Muller has also won the Australian Department of Innovation Nanotechnology Film Competition and the 2013 Australian Webstream Award for "Best Educational & Lifestyle Series".[15]

Starting in April 2017, he appeared as a correspondent on the Netflix seriesBill Nye Saves the World.[16]

Muller presented in filmVitamania: The Sense and Nonsense of Vitamins,a documentary by Genepool Productions, released in August 2018.[17]The film answers questions about vitamins and the use of dietary vitamin supplements.[18]

Muller's works have been featured inScientific American,[19]Wired,[20]Gizmodo,[21]andi09.[22]

Veritasium and other YouTube channels

[edit]

In January 2011, Muller created the educational science channelVeritasiumonYouTube,[4]the focus of which is "addressing counter-intuitive concepts in science, usually beginning by discussing ideas with members of the public".[23]The videos range in style from interviews with experts, such as 2011 Physics Nobel LaureateBrian Schmidt,[24]to science experiments, dramatisations, songs, and – a hallmark of the channel –interviews with the publicto uncover misconceptions about science. The nameVeritasiumis a combination of theLatinword for truth,Veritas,and the suffix common to many elements,-ium.This createsVeritasium,an "element of truth", a play on the popular phrase and a reference tochemical elements.In its logo, which has been a registeredtrade marksince 2016, the number "42.0" resembles an element on the periodic table.[25]The number was chosen because it is "The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything"inDouglas Adams' famous novelThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[26]: 10m12s 

In July 2012, Muller created a secondYouTube channel,2veritasium.Muller used the new platform to produce editorial videos that discuss such topics as filmmaking, showcasing behind-the-scenes footage, and for viewer reactions to popularVeritasiumvideos.[27]

In 2017, Muller began uploading videos on his newest channel,Sciencium,which is dedicated to videos on recent and historical discoveries in science.[28]

Reception

[edit]

Veritasiumvideos have received critical acclaim. Two early successfulVeritasiumvideos demonstrate the physics of a fallingSlinkytoy.[a] At 2012Science Online,the video "Mission Possible: Graphene" won the Cyberscreen Science Film Festival[33]and was therefore featured onScientific Americanas the video of the week.[34]A video debunking the common misconception that the moon is closer than it is, was picked up byCBS News.[35]

After a video was posted in which Muller is shown driving awind-powered car, equipped with a huge spinning propeller,faster than the wind, UCLA physics professorAlexander Kusenkodisagreed with the claim that sailing downwind faster than wind was possible within the laws of physics, and made a $10,000 bet with Muller that he could not demonstrate that the apparent greater speed was not due to other, incidental factors. Muller took up the bet, and the signing of a wager agreement by the parties was witnessed byBill NyeandNeil deGrasse Tyson.In a subsequent video, Muller demonstrated the effect with a model cart under conditions ruling out extraneous effects, but Muller did admit he could have done a better job at explaining the phenomenon in the first video. Kusenko conceded the bet of $10,000, which was then donated to charity.[36]

Personal life and family

[edit]

After Derek Muller's parents, Anthony and Shirley, married inSouth Africa,they moved toVancouver,British Columbia, Canada, where his two sisters were born (Kirstie and Marilouise). The family moved to Australia, where he was born, after his father got a job inTraralgonat a pulp and paper mill. When he was 18 months old, the family moved back to Vancouver.[3]

After Muller moved toLos Angeles,United States, he met Raquel Nuno, a planetary science Ph.D. student[37]whom he married.[3]They have three children (2021).[26]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^The "slinky" videos explain the following: When aslinkyis held dangling vertically and then released, it can be observed in slow motion that the bottom end does not begin to move until the entire slinky has collapsed, making it look as if the slinky was defying gravity (i.e., floating). This counter-intuitive phenomenon inspired a wealth of media coverage, including theToronto Star,[29]NPR,[30]and a segment on theBBCshowQI.[31]Muller also created a segment on the topic for theAustralian Broadcasting CorporationshowCatalyst.[32]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Honorary Membership".
  2. ^"24 winners announced at the Streamys Premiere Awards".Streamys.org(Press release). The Streamy Awards. 25 September 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 27 February 2021.Retrieved12 January2021.
  3. ^abcdef Muller, Derek (18 June 2018).My Life Story.Veritasium(autobiographical video).Retrieved2 June2019– via YouTube.
  4. ^abMuller, Derek (2011)."Veritasium".Retrieved18 September2023– via YouTube.
  5. ^Muller, Derek (4 May 2017).Why I'm not a scientist(autobiographical video).Retrieved6 May2017– via YouTube.
  6. ^"Physicist, educator, and filmmaker Derek Muller, Sc'04".Alumni Career Spotlights.Queen's University. 15 November 2012.Retrieved12 January2021.
  7. ^Muller, Derek (2008).Designing Effective Multimedia for Physics Education(PDF)(Ph.D. thesis). University of Sydney. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 28 August 2021.Retrieved17 April2021.
  8. ^"Meet the team".Catalyst.14 February 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 19 July 2016.Retrieved14 September2013.
  9. ^Muller, Derek (11 October 2012)."Higgs Boson".Catalyst.Retrieved22 September2013.
  10. ^"The Why Guy".Breakfast.Network Ten. 8 March 2012.Retrieved22 September2013.
  11. ^"Derek Muller: The key to effective educational science videos".TEDxSydney.27 May 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2013.Retrieved14 September2013.
  12. ^Gay, Verne (27 July 2015)."The BombandUraniumreview: Two PBS documentaries, one insufficient, one engaging ".Newsday.New York, NY. Archived fromthe originalon 18 May 2021.Retrieved12 January2021.
  13. ^"Australian Museum Eureka Prizes winners".The Australian Museum(Press release). 2016.Retrieved20 January2021.
  14. ^"Google Science Fair 2015 Awards Celebration".Google Science Fair. 21 September 2015.Retrieved22 September2015– via YouTube.
  15. ^"AboutVeritasium".Veritasium.28 April 2015.Retrieved25 November2016.
  16. ^Harwood, Erika (14 October 2016)."Karlie Kloss is teaming-up with Bill Nye".Vanity Fair.Retrieved8 February2017.
  17. ^"Dr. Derek Muller – presenter".Vitamania.Retrieved14 August2018.
  18. ^"Home".Vitamania.Retrieved14 August2018.
  19. ^Bondar, Carin (15 March 2012)."Meet Derek Muller – winner of the Cyberscreen Science Film Festival".Scientific American.Retrieved14 September2013.
  20. ^Allain, Rhett (13 July 2012)."Veritasium video homework".Wired.Retrieved14 September2013.
  21. ^Condliffe, Jamie (20 February 2013)."What is light anyway?".Gizmodo.Retrieved14 September2013.
  22. ^Gonzalez, Robbie (9 October 2012)."This levitating barbecue is the coolest thing you'll see today".i09.Retrieved14 September2013.
  23. ^"The Element of Truth: an interview with Derek Muller".RIChannel.org(blog).The Royal Institution.March 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 19 January 2013.Retrieved14 September2013.
  24. ^Muller, Derek (23 October 2011)."Physics Nobel Prize 2011 – Brian Schmidt".Retrieved13 February2013– via YouTube.
  25. ^"Veritasium an element of truth i 42.0 - Trademark Details".Justia.Retrieved27 February2021.
  26. ^ab Muller, Derek (7 January 2021).Q&A + giveaway for 10 years on YouTube(video).Retrieved27 February2021– via YouTube.
  27. ^Muller, Derek (17 July 2012).An isotope of truth(video).Retrieved23 January2014– via YouTube.
  28. ^Muller, Derek (2017)."About Sciencium".Sciencium.Retrieved6 March2017– via YouTube.
  29. ^ Taylor, Lesley Ciarula (27 September 2011)."The secret truth behind a dropping Slinky".Toronto Star.Retrieved13 February2013.
  30. ^ Krulwich, Robert(11 September 2012)."The miracle of the levitating Slinky".NPR News(blog).National Public Radio.Retrieved13 February2013.
  31. ^ "Just the Job".QI.Season 10. Episode 18.British Broadcasting Corporation.
  32. ^ Collins, Adam (19 April 2012)."Slinky Drop".Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Retrieved13 February2013.
  33. ^ Bondar, Carin (24 January 2012)."Winners of the Cyberscreen Science Film Festival atScience Online2012 ".Scientific American(blog).Retrieved13 February2013.
  34. ^ Zivkovic, Bora (25 January 2012)."Video of the week no. 27".Scientific American(blog).Retrieved13 February2013.
  35. ^ Goodman, Will (23 February 2011)."Guy asks"How far away is the Moon from Earth?"".CBS News.Columbia Broadcasting System.Retrieved13 February2013.
  36. ^Matthew Gault (1 July 2021)."Science Youtuber Wins $10,000 Bet with Physicist".Vice.Retrieved2 July2021.
  37. ^Nuno, Raquel."Raquel Nuno's Twitter page".
[edit]
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