The Things You Miss

[akirlu]

Well, here's something to be cheered by.

During the furor over That Other Thing Recently, I lost track of the Nobel Prize announcements. I heard one or two go by, but evidently I blinked when they announced the Prize for physics. Turns out my old boss, David Politzer, just won a Nobel Prize. Well, golly. Yes, of course I've met Nobel Laureates before, but as it happens this is the first time the Laurel went to someone I already knew. Go, David.

I mentioned David a while back, in the post about the double rainbow over Pasadena. David was so proud of his kid in that moment. I would imagine that kid, now a man, will be beside himself with pride for his father this year. I hope so. When I knew him, David was so damned humble about himself, because his really brilliant work was behind him. That's probably still true, I'm not in a position to judge his more recent work, but you'd think the endorsement of the Royal Swedish Academy would mean something.

I must send off a postcard of congratulations to David, it being a little late in the day for telegrams, but in the mean time, I raise my (virtual) glass to David Politzer, a sweet man, a great boss, and a very smart physicist.

Update: There's a more recent solo picture of David at the bottom of this page, where it is also confirmed that David was a graduate student when he started the work that won him the Laurel. What I had not guessed is that the three winners were not working together. The other two worked with each other in a faculty-grad student relationship, as you'd expect, but David was apparently working solo. He was 24. Like I say, smart guy.

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Yes, of course I've met Nobel Laureates before

What a peculiar thing to say.

K.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Well, not if you've spent any time working in the Division of Physics, Mathematics, & Astronomy at Caltech, it isn't. You don't have to be technical, or important (I was neither) to run across the odd Laureate on a semi- to regular basis. At the annual Frosh Camp for Caltech freshman, it was apparently common for Dick Feynman to be introduced thus: "He's a world-class scientist, but we have quite a few of those. He's also a Nobel Laureate, but we have a number of those also. But Richard Feynman is our only bongo player!...". At Caltech, because of a limited lot size, parking at the faculty club is restricted to Nobel Laureates. So it's just like that.

For that matter, lots of folks in fandom have met Ben Yalow's mom. I suspect most of us are not more than one handshake away from multiple Laureates.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I guess what I find peculiar is to advertise one's connections to important people. I recall well that any number of friends have heard my stories about meeting various of these, but I don't drop them into conversation with "Of course...."

At least, I hopedon't, and give free rein to anyone who hears me do any such thing to step on my foot and scowl pointedly in my direction.

I'd probably understand this custom of the Caltech tribe better if I spent any time there.

K.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Ah, you think I'm bragging. Must be a Minnesotan thing; I wouldn't understand. In fact, the 'of course,' was not meant to reflect on me, but to forestall queries about why I was making a thing. If you want to criticize me for 'advertising' my acquaintance with 'important' people, I would think the entire post was fair game. But whatever.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I didn't mean to sting you.

I should learn to type slower and think faster.

K.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Eh, no sweat. All is forgiven, Lassie come home. I guess I need to work on that name-dropping thing.

Caltech's laureates

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

Here's the list of Caltech's laureates (http://pr.caltech.edu/events/caltech_nobel/) (spread over two pages, note). Apparently Mr. Politzer is number 30.

Hm.

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

Although, that count of 30 isn't solely faculty members -- they're also throwing in alumni.

Donald Glaser, to whom I'm related by marriage (his wife was the daughter of my great-uncle, so she and I are 1st Cousins once removed), is listed as just such an alum.

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

Proximate congratulations to you!

[cluefairy-j.livejournal.com]

I've met Nobel Laureates at the Ig Nobel's...heh.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I would expect there are quite a few of them rolling around Cambridge, especially for the Ig Nobels.

[ckd]

Yeah. I work at that other Institute of Technology, the one that gets snow in the winter (like, er, last night actually) and we have a few here and there; the news office claims we have ten who are "current members of the MIT community" after this year's awards. None of them are in my particular segment of the Institute, and I haven't met any of them.

Our most recent winner (Frank Wilczek, who shared this year's Physics prize with your old boss) has a wife who blogs; she's been having a fun time lately, and spent yesterday liveblogging his interview with Swedish TV.

PS: I think we may have a bongo player or two around campus as well (and of course RPF did his undergrad here).

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Cool blog. Thanks for the reference!

[cluefairy-j.livejournal.com]

Great blog! Thanks!