Printable Biography of Dr. Michael Guillen

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Dr. Michael Guillen was born in East Los Angeles, earned his B.S. from UCLA and his Ph.D. from Cornell University in physics, mathematics and astronomy. For eight years thereafter, he was an award-winning physics instructor at Harvard University.

He’s also written hundreds of articles for numerous distinguished publications, including Science News and Psychology Today magazines and The New York Times and Washington Post. For fourteen years, he was the Emmy-award-winning Science Correspondent for ABC News. He appeared regularly on Good Morning America, 20/20, Nightline, and World News Tonight.

Dr. Guillen is the best-selling author of two critically acclaimed books for the general public about mathematics: Bridges to Infinity: the Human Side of Mathematics and Five Equations that Changed the World: the Power and Poetry of Mathematics.

In his latest book Can a Smart Person Believe in God?, Dr. Guillen tells of his lifelong attempt to reconcile his scientific career with his deeply religious upbringing. In it he coins the term SQ, which stands for Spiritual Quotient – the spiritual counterpart to IQ. Dr. Guillen believes that it is only when we use both our IQ and SQ that we perceive ourselves, others, and the cosmos in their full, multi-dimensional glory.

Dr. Guillen is the president of Spectacular Science Productions. He is also the host of an exciting new weekly, one-hour, prime-time science and technology series for The History Channel. The pilot is being filmed this fall and, if all goes well, the series will debut in the fall 2005 season.

Dr. Guillen is the Chief Consultant for Science and Religion for the Crystal Cathedral Ministries, which includes the Hour of Power Television show, and Chief Science Advisor for the Central Committee of American Rabbis. He lives with his wife, five-year-old son, and black lab outside of Boston.

 

How To Succeed In Life Without Really Trying
Dr. Guillen beat the odds. He succeeded in going from the Mexican barrio of East Los Angeles, where he was born, to Harvard, ABC News, and beyond by living and working according to a set of rules he calls “Guillen’s Laws.” In this talk, Dr. Guillen tells you what they are and how they can be applied to your life, no matter what your situation is. Ironically, he explains, the single most important law of all – the one responsible for his greatest, most satisfying achievements to date – is this one: “Stop trying to succeed!”

Loving From the “Top-Down”
American pop culture defines love in a very selfish way; it claims that we must love ourselves before we can love anyone else. Modern science defines love in a Darwinistic way; it claims that when push comes to shove, we love only those who have our own genes (blood is thicker than water). Such beliefs – sadly, very common today – give rise to what Dr. Guillen calls “Bottom-Up” relationships, because they’re built up from our own lowly self interests. By contrast, he tells us how to begin creating truly healthy, happy “Top-Down” relationships, based on loving God first. When he himself did that, Dr. Guillen explains, his life was completely turned upside down. Suddenly he began to see and love people from a Heavenly perspective, the way God does.

Not of this World
Are you surrounded by co-workers who scoff at your devout, childlike belief in God? By fellow students? By family, even? Odds are, you are. Today, we all live, work, and study in an increasingly secular ambience. All of which, Dr. Guillen says, raises this very important question: How can a person live apart from this world – as Jesus commanded us to do – and still remain a part of it? Dr. Guillen uses his own experience working in the ultra-secular world of television news and entertainment to share with us many practical ways we can succeed in being spiritual creatures in a secular society.

What’s Your SQ?
Scientists once believed that we humans were unique because of IQ. But not anymore: lots of animals have varying degrees of intelligence, from apes to whales to parrots. What makes us truly special is what Dr. Guillen calls SQ – Spiritual Quotient, the spiritual equivalent of IQ. God made us the only animal on the planet with religious smarts, Dr. Guillen explains, the ability to discern and study God’s presence in the universe; to prove things we find hard to believe (IQ), but also to believe in things we find hard to prove (SQ). Dr. Guillen has developed a simple SQ Test to see where God rates in your daily life, and offers five ways to improve your SQ – which is to say, your walk with Him.