Edward Teller Centennial Symposium Coming to Bankhead Theater
In honor of the 100th anniversary of Edward Teller's birth, a symposium is being sponsored by LLNL, the University of California, the Hertz Foundation, and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
The symposium is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28, at the Bankhead Theater in downtown Livermore. Space is still available and the registration deadline has been extended to May 16. To register, go to the Web.
Organizers Steve Libby and Karl Van Bibber of the Physical Sciences directorate, Director Emeritus Bruce Tarter, and Hertz Foundation President John Holzrichter have assembled an impressive list of speakers.
"Our featured speakers are all eminent physicists in their own rights, and a number of them have interesting connections to Edward Teller," said Libby.
For example, Sig Hecker and Bruce Tarter, emeritus directors of Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories respectively, will speak back to back on Teller's relationship with both labs. Hecker was director at Los Alamos when Teller became intrigued with the physics of high-temperature superconductivity and began working on it with LANL scientists.
Robert Littlejohn, from UC Berkeley, will speak on Berry's Phase and the quantum mechanics of molecules, a field of physics where Teller was a key innovator. "Littlejohn gave a terrific seminar at the Lab six years ago," Libby recounted, "and we had lunch with Teller. They connected right away. Edward liked to understand things from first principles, and Robert enjoyed being able to describe to Teller the latest developments in an area he had founded nearly 70 years earlier."
LLNL’s Mal Kalos is one of the leading gurus on the various Monte Carlo methods of numerical simulation. He had direct interactions with Teller going back 50 years as Monte Carlo simulations were applied to neutron transport in reactors and other systems. Kalos also will talk about applications of the famous Metropolis-Rosenbluth-Rosenbluth-Teller-Teller Monte Carlo algorithm, which plays a crucial role in many current simulations.
Nat Fisch from Princeton University and Steve Rose from Imperial College will discuss current developments in the physics of plasmas, a field where Teller’s ideas also left a rich legacy. Wick Haxton from the University of Washington will discuss current developments in nuclear and particle physics, whose intellectual ancestors include Teller, and John Holzrichter will talk about Teller’s influence on applied science education.
Also speaking will be Janos Kirz, a leading figure in x-ray physics, scientific advisor at the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and professor of physics at Stony Brook University. He is also nephew to Edward Teller.
"Edward Teller was a central figure in shaping modern physics and our Laboratory. This symposium will both honor his legacy and give added appreciation to the current scientific ramifications of his work," said Libby.
Science on Saturday featured in Modesto
County Sheriff’s Office seeks volunteers
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Services in Dublin is seeking a volunteer available during normal business hours to assist with inspection, maintenance and inventory of Search & Rescue and Dive Team equipment.
Other tasks include driving vehicles or equipment, including trailers and boats, to county or other facilities for repair or maintenance. Requirements include: a valid California driver’s license and good driving record and ability to pass a background investigation. While time is flexible, the volunteer is being sought for three to four hours twice a week.
The Sheriff’s Office is seeking volunteers who are mechanically inclined, organized, have some computer skills and some experience with trailers and towing and hitch systems. A basic familiarity with compressors, generators and electricity also is desirable. The volunteer will be a necessary part of overall operations and a welcome addition to the team.
To volunteer or for more information, contact Deputy Mark Collins at (925) 803-7813 or %20MCollins [at] acgov.org ( e-mail ) .
