Jesuit Scientists

 Today there is a great deal of interest among scholars in the contributions of Jesuits to science and here we celebrate some of these Jesuit mathematicians and scientists who embody the Jesuit tradition of scholarship, dedication and service. Unfortunately, we cannot say that they are typical Jesuit educators, but they are a flesh and blood illustration of what we Jesuits think we are trying to accomplish along with our non-Jesuit colleagues in the educational apostolate.

Adventures of Some Early Jesuit Scientists

• Jos� de Acosta, S.J. - 1600: Pioneer of the Geophysical Sciences
• Fran�ois De Aguilon, S.J. - 1617: and his Six books on Optics
• Roger Joseph Boscovich, S.J. - 1787: and his atomic theory
• Christopher Clavius, S.J. - 1612: and his Gregorian Calendar
• Honor�; Fabri, S.J. - 1688: and his post-calculus geometry
• Francesco M. Grimaldi, S.J. - 1663: and his diffraction of light
• Paul Guldin, S.J. - 1643: applications of Guldin's Rule
• Maximilian Hell, S.J. - 1792: and his Mesmerizing encounters
• Athanasius Kircher, S.J. - 1680: The Master of a Hundred Arts
• Francesco Lana-Terzi, S.J. - 1687: The Father of Aeronautics
• Francis Line, S.J. - 1654: the hunted and elusive clock maker
• Juan Molina, S.J.- 1829: The First Scientist of Chile
• Jer�me Nadal, S.J.-1580: perspective art and composition of place
• Ignace Pardies, S.J. - 1673: and his influence on Newton
• Andrea Pozzo, S.J. - 1709: and his perspective geometry
• Vincent Riccati, S.J. - 1775: and his hyperbolic functions
• Matteo Ricci, S.J. - 1610: who brought scientific innovations to China
• John Baptist Riccioli, S.J. - 167I: and his long-lived selenograph
• Girolamo Saccheri, S.J. - 1733: and his solution to Euclid's blemish
• Theorems of Saccheri, S.J. - 1733: and his non Euclidean Geometry
• Johann Adam Schall von Bell, S.J. - 1669: Astronomy and the calendar
• Christopher Scheiner, S.J. - 1650: sunspots and his equatorial mount
• Gaspar Schott, S.J. - 1666: and the experiment at Magdeburg
• Angelo Secchi, S.J. - 1878: the Father of Astrophysics
• Joseph Stepling, S.J. - 1650: symbolic logic and his research academy
• Andr�; Tacquet, S.J. - 1660: and his treatment of infinitesimals
• Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S. J. - 1955: and The Phenomenon of man
• Ferdinand Verbiest, S.J. - 1688: an influential Jesuit scientist in China
• Juan Bautista Villalpando, S.J. - 1608: and his version of Solomon's Temple
• Gregory Saint Vincent, S.J. - 1667: and his polar coordinates
• Nicolas Zucchi, S.J.- 1670: the renowned telescope maker

Influence of Some Early Jesuit Scientists

• The 35 lunar craters named to honor Jesuit Scientists: their location and description
• Post-Pombal Portugal opinion of Pre-Pombal Jesuit Scientists: a recent conference
• Seismology, The Jesuit Science. a Jesuit history of geophysics

Catholic Scientists