Nobelist Philip Anderson's inaugural lecture set for Oct. 20 at UMD

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Pioneering theorist and Nobel laureate Philip W. Anderson has been named the first recipient of the Richard E. Prange Prize and Lectureship in Condensed Matter Theory and Related Areas. Anderson will deliver a public presentation at the University of Maryland, College Park on Oct. 20, 2009.

The annual award, newly established by the UMD Department of Physics and Condensed Matter Theory Center (CMTC), honors the late Professor Richard Prange, whose distinguished career at Maryland spanned four decades (1961-2000). The Prange Prize is made possible by a gift from Dr. Prange's widow, Dr. Madeleine Joullié of the University of Pennsylvania.

Anderson, currently Joseph Henry Professor of Physics at Princeton University, made indispensable contributions to what is known about the behavior of charges in different sorts of "solid state" systems such as those employed in transistors and other electronic devices. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1977 for "fundamental theoretical investigations of the electronic structure of magnetic and disordered systems." In 1982 he received the National Medal of Science from President Ronald Reagan for "fundamental and comprehensive contributions to the theoretical understanding of condensed matter."

Anderson's lecture, titled "Presenting Unpopular Theories," will be delivered at the University of Maryland's John Toll Physics Building at 4:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 20 in the Physics Lecture Hall, Room 1412. The event is open to the public.

Dr. Richard Prange did his graduate studies at the University of Chicago, where he worked with Nobelist Yoichiro Nambu, among others. Prange was the editor of a widely known book on the quantum Hall effect, but his interests reached well beyond condensed matter, extending into every substantive aspect of theoretical physics including seminal work on quantum chaos. He was at complete ease discussing subjects as disparate as ferromagnetism and the cosmological constant. His interests also included history and travel.

At the University of Maryland, he played a vital role in the life of the Physics Department, leading a substantial reform of its undergraduate major program and serving as chair of crucial departmental committees.

"Richard enjoyed a fascinating and fulfilling career at the University of Maryland exploring condensed matter physics, and even after retirement was active in the department," said Dr. Joullié. "He spent the very last afternoon of his life in the lecture hall for a colloquium on graphene, followed by a vigorous discussion. And so I am happy to institute the Prange Prize, which will certainly generate its own robust discussions in condensed matter theory. Phillip Anderson is the ideal inaugural honoree."

Dr. Prange was a member of the Maryland condensed matter theory group for more than 40 years and was an affiliate of CMTC since its inception in 2002.

"The Prange Prize provides a unique opportunity to acknowledge transformative work in condensed-matter theory, a field that has proven to be an inexhaustible source of insights and discoveries in both fundamental and applied physics, said Dr. Sankar Das Sarma, a UMD Distinguished University Professor and director of the CMTC. "Much of that progress was made possible by the pioneering science of Philip Anderson, who had a profound influence on subjects ranging from the electronic structure of disordered materials to superconductivity and elementary particle physics."

The talk will be held in Room 1412 at 4:00 pm (preceded by light refreshments at 3:30). Directions to the College Park campus are available at: http://www.cvs.umd.edu/visitors/maps.html. To locate the Physics Building, see the campus map at: http://www.cvs.umd.edu/downloads/campus%20map%20012309.pdf. Parking is available in Parking Garage 2 (P202), across the street from the Physics Lecture Hall. An attendant will give you a parking permit at the garage. For further information, please call the Physics Department at 301.405.5946.

University of Maryland Physics: http://umdphysics.umd.edu/
Condensed Matter Theory Center: http://www.physics.umd.edu/cmtc/
Center for Nanophysics and Applied Materials: http://www.cnam.umd.edu/
College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences: http://www.cmps.umd.edu/

Professor James Drake co-wrote the cover article for the September/October 2009 issues of American Scientist Magazine. The article, written with James Burch, is on magnetic reconnection. The cover (front and back) is an artist's rendering of the sun. Burch is the PI of the NASA MMS mission, a $1billion, four-satellite constellation, that will study magnetic reconnection in the Earth's magnetosphere.View the issue here.

We have learned of the death of Johnny Laster, the son of former Physics chair Howie Laster and his wife Miriam.

http://www.legacy.com/NewsAdvance/Obituaries.asp?page=lifestory&personid=131848101

If you would like a mailing address for the Laster family, please contact Anne Suplee at .

Congratulations to Victor Galitski, who was awarded the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award. Dr. Galitski’s proposal, entitled “Fluctuation Phenomena Near Quantum Phase Transitions,” was awarded based on scientific and technical merit. NSF funds research in science and engineering through grants, contracts and cooperative agreements.

For more information on NSF Awards visit: http://www.nsf.gov/about/

Professor Daniel Lathrop makes an appearance on the Discovery Channel’s documentary, “Inside Planet Earth.”  Lathrop was filmed and interviewed in his lab last year. The program will air on the network from 06/10 – 06/25. Visit the Discovery Channel Website for their weekly TV schedule.