This profile of Oliver Smithies highlights many of the qualities of a great scientist: a down-to-earth, unassuming style (remember "the smaller the mind, the greater the conceit" as I wrote last year in my preamble to Eric Olson's profile); simplicity; an enduring passion for discovery and invention; and total commitment to the work. Smithies' statement that there is no substitute for hard work is one of the absolute truisms of life, as I elaborated last year in my preamble to Robert

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... profile. No matter how smart you are, if you don't work hard, you will never make it. He is a living testimony of this concept. All of us should be astounded and inspired by the fact that this 85-yearold scientist, a Nobel laureate who has contributed so much to human knowledge, still works in the lab every day of the week, runs experiments, and exudes the same passion for science that he exuded 60 years ago. What a marvelous role model for young scientists.