David Turnbull died peacefully at home last Saturday, April 28th, at age 92.
He was for many years Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics at Harvard University. His seminal work included theoretical and experimental studies of nucleation of crystals, the glass transition and the amorphous state, crystal growth, and atomic diffusion.
I'm saddened by the recent resignation of Marilee Jones, the dean of admissions at MIT. By all accounts she has been an excellent employee, but she lied about her degrees when she first applied for an entry-level job 28 years ago.
I do think that lying is wrong, and I can't blame the administration of MIT for taking actions. However, I'm uneasy about the general practice of employment.
In this lecture I'll describe a recent PhD Thesis by Zhen Zhang.
This set is related to buckle-driven delamination, crack bridging, and interfacial cracks.
New York Times today carried an article on the anxiety of getting in college. There is absolutely nothing surprising in the article if you are a parent of a college going child in the US. It may serve as a warning for people in other countries who think that their eduction systems are breaking down and want a dose of American experience.
G. Bao and Z. Suo, " Remarks on crack-bridging concepts," Applied Mechanics Review. 45, 355-366 (1992).
The New York Times Magazine this weekend featured a Harvard undergraduate student from China, and her work to shake up education in China. The article is long, but if you grew up in China, it should be a quick read, and fun. If you grew up in US or Europe, perhaps this is a helpful read, just to learn how other people live.
(Initially posted at Applied Mechanics News on 21 May 2006)
The ASME commissioned the Institute for Alternative Futures (IAF), a nonprofit futures think tank, to scan the world for the future of ASME. The IAF report, dated on 30 June 2005, listed the following six strategic issues:
