Emeritus Faculty Association #105 January 2005

Flu Shots:
For members who have been unable to get a flu shot, a plentiful supply is now available at Occupational Medicine, Stony Brook Medical Park, 2500 Nesconset Highway, 444-6251

Bentley Glass
It gives us much sadness to report that Bentley Glass, distinguished professor emeritus and academic vice president 1965-1976, passed away in Boulder last Sunday one day before his 99th birthday.An obituary may be seen on page B9 of the NY Times of Jan 20 or by by clicking: here

Next Meeting:
10:30 a.m., Friday, February 4th, Javits Seminar Room, Melville Library E2340. After a social half hour with coffee, fruit, and pastries, courtesy of the Provost's Office, Distinguished Professor Emeritus Jacob Bigeleisen of the Department of Chemistry will give a talk entitled "The Science, Technology and Politics of Uranium Enhancement." To assess the capabilities of newcomers and terrorists to the nuclear club it is necessary to have some understanding of what is involved in uranium enrichment. In lay terms Jake will discuss the two principal enrichment processes now in operation and their relevance to recent activities in Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, and North Korea.

Jake Bigeleisen became involved in uranium enrichment during WWII when he worked at the Columbia University branch of the Manhattan Project. There he and the late Nobel Laureate Maria Goeppert Mayer developed the fundamental theory of the difference in chemical properties of isotopes. In the post war period Jake served as a consultant to AEC, ERDA, and DOE. In 1964 in recognition of his work on isotope separation he received a commendation, a gold medal and a cash award from President Lyndon Johnson. His theory on the differences in the chemical and physical properties of isotopes has found wide application in archeology, anthropology, biochemistry,geophysics and the study of how chemical reactions occur. Jake is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. At the National Academy he has served as Chairman of the Chemistry Section, Chairman of the Assembly of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and a member of the Academy Council and its Committee on Science and Engineering Public Policy

News release from Beijing China:
Chen Ning (Frank) Yang (82), Emeritus Professor of Physics, announced that he would be married in January to Weng Fan (28), a student at Guangdon University. It is a second marriage for both, Yang's first wife having passed away in 2003. He distributed a poem he wrote in English which was published in the newspapers:
Oh, sweet angel, truthfully you are
God's benevolent last gift
To give my old soul
A joyous rejuvenating

News of other emeritus organizations, ctd:
Founded in 1977, the SUNY Buffalo Emeritus Center provides retired faculty, professionals, staff members and their spouses with a home away from home. Retirees can meet friends there; play cards, billiards or table tennis; watch TV; and attend free monthly meetings. The center is housed on the ground floor of the university's Goodyear Hall, a 10-story dormitory building on the South Campus. It has a meeting room, kitchen space, small library (run on the honor system), office space for the volunteer coordinator and room for a pool table, piano (donated by the wife of a former campus president) and other equipment. The space was converted from its former use as a residential hall to accommodate the retirees. Because the center is funded through the campus President's Office, and the space and its furnishings are made available by the university, membership costs only $3 per year which pays for refreshments, minor furniture repairs and the like. The university provides the telephone and computer services. It also pays to print and mail a monthly newsletter for retirees.