Vol. 4, No. 1 • Spring / Summer 2008 KITP Ranks First INSIDE… In Research Impact Special for Science, p. 2 New Permanent Member, p. 2

ow can the performance as “traditionally…one of the highest ranked Brain Design Workshop, p. 3 of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical scientific groups and so serves as a gold HPhysics be measured and assessed? standard.” Presumably that standard also Star Formation, pp. 4-5 Anne Kinney in an article published in applies to the facility with the highest the Nov. 13, 2007, issue of the Proceedings impact-index. Coordinating Housing, p. 7 of the National Academy of Sciences presents Assessing the quality of KITP Rice Endows a new way of assessing “National Scientific programming performance has proved Upcoming, p. 8 Facilities and Their Science Impact on challenging for the institute’s directors Fund to Make Nonbiomedical Research.” Her approach because much of the measurable effect in enables comparison of the impact of research terms of quality research is manifested in fostered in conjunction with a given facility. publications by visiting scientists whose KITP More The KITP with a score of 6.56 registers the primary institutional affiliation is elsewhere. Tom Abel highest impact-index reported. This way in which KITP differs from The KITP is not only the highest other institutions with which it is being Family Friendly comparatively evaluated is underscored in ranked National Science Foundation (NSF) paper because being cited in papers by other an explanatory footnote to the PNAS article: facility, but the highest ranked of all research scientists demonstrates the impact of the For two decades physicists visiting “KITP is a theoretical physics institute that facilities, including (in order from second to cited work on the research of others. The the KITP have been treated to stunning regularly organizes conferences and long- fourth) the highest ranked department— higher the impact, the more significant is the views of the Santa Ynez Mountains from term workshops in physical sciences. Many Astronomy at Berkeley with an impact-index research of the source. a rental house on La Coronilla Drive near of the authors of papers with KITP affiliation of 6.30; the highest ranked university— The h index, pertaining to the body of a Santa Barbara’s Mesa district. The owners are visitors, with other home institutions.” Harvard with an impact-index of 6.15; and researcher’s work, is a more definitive indicator of that property, Ann and Myron (“Mike”) The key relevant question addressed the highest ranked national laboratory— of overall quality. The h index of a scientist is Rice, enjoyed cordial interactions with in the PNAS article is how to compare Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) with an the largest number of his/her publications cited their physicist tenants and with KITP research facilities whose size and nature differ impact-index of 5.65. more than h times. The bigger an individual’s housing coordinator Monica Curry. That appreciably from one another. The answer is Kinney, who serves as director of the h index, the more highly cited papers the mutually gratifying, long-term relationship a “normalized h index.” astrophysics division in NASA’s science individual has published. This h index is now prompted Ann late last summer to phone The number of citations to a published mission directorate, describes Berkeley’s widely used to measure the citation impact of Curry to explore how the gift of the house paper is usually a good assessment of the Astronomy Department (with an impact- an individual. might benefit the KITP. index second only to KITP in her assessment) quality of the research reported in that The $1.4 million proceeds from the See KITP Ranks first on page 2 property’s sale are being used to endow the “Drs. Ann and Myron Rice Family Fund for the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.” Because the endowment was established in the form of a charitable remainder trust, Inside the Virtual World of the KITP: Ann has also generously added a cash gift ‘A Wonderland of Far-Seeing on the Web’ of $30,000 to enable the Family Fund to become operational in the spring of 2008. he KITP web site is the opposite experts in every field, and the visual and sound wish every institution were set up to provide The Family Fund enables families– of “all-show/no-go.” It may, upon first quality is also more than adequate.” a similar resource, but at the moment the especially those in which the physicist inspection of the homepage at www. Ginsparg, professor of physics and KITP talk archive remains unique. It fits is also the mother of young children–to T kitp.ucsb.edu, look like a humdrum vehicle computing and information science at naturally within the KITP mission; it’s been participate in the weeks- and months-long analogous to the base-model Ford pick-up Cornell, pointed out, “Now I am already at a implemented superbly.” collaborative research opportunities that are circa 1997. But under that dated hood, so relatively elite institution, not exactly lacking A spontaneous email to KITP director the hallmark of KITP programming. to speak, lies the visionary apparatus of the for high quality seminars, but nonetheless David Gross from a Case Western Reserve KITP Director David Gross noted virtual KITP—a 10-year archive of scientific make the time to listen to KITP seminars graduate student in physics, Murad Mithani, that the percentage of KITP participants talks (now averaging 1,000 a attests to the usefulness of who are women is roughly the same as the year) ready for access worldwide the talk archive to somebody percentage of physicists who are women in in a number of formats Hits per year on KITP webservers formerly “without access to local the United States—i.e., 13 to 15 percent. variously combining audio resources.” “We aim to raise that percentage,” said and visual information for user 80 Mithani wrote of the talk Gross, “ultimately to 50 percent, and the reenactment. archive, “I just wanted to thank Rice gift serves as an example nationally Presiding over the virtual 70 you and your team for the great of the kind of effort required to make the KITP is web wizard and UCSB contribution that it is making in profession more attractive to women.” physics professor Douglas 60 the lives of so many people. The Family Fund was the brainchild of Eardley. It is, literally, his ear “To give you an example, I KITP development director Sarah Vaughan, creation as well as his province 50 did my undergrad almost 12 years who at the time of the Rice call to Curry, had though he insists that he ago in Pakistan. From then on I already extensively explored with Curry the couldn’t have done it without 40 couldn’t afford to study anymore difficulties would-be program participants, the able assistance of the KITP but always wished for a chance most notably women, face when uprooting computing staff, especially its 30 to study more of physics. Before children from the carefully crafted child- leader, Kevin Barron. coming to Case this year, during care and schooling routines tailored to their According to another 20 the last 5 years, the only physics Millions of hits/y home base. visionary on-line archivist and professor accessible to me was the Questionnaire after questionnaire physicist, Paul Ginsparg, “The 10 Kavli Institute. Every weekend, I returned by women physicists at the end of KITP talk archive is both an would treat myself to a few lectures their participation in KITP programs noted extraordinarily useful resource 0 that would make me see and how hard it had been to make from afar and an extraordinary proof of think about the world outside my expensive arrangements for the housing, concept.” Ginsparg developed 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 world. And now even at age 33, care, schooling, and transport of children the “arXiv,” which sounds like Doug Eardley so long after doing my bachelor’s, that enable the physicist to immerse herself and is an “archive” for electronic I still am able to understand in the intense, collaborative, face-to-face preprints of scientific papers in most of what is being discussed research experience afforded to visitors. physics, mathematics, computer science, and (ordinarily from home while using wireless in physics graduate courses only because the Ann Rice, an expert on personal and quantitative biology. headphones and doing something else, e.g., Kavli Institute allowed me to stay tuned to the familial finance, said, “I began by thinking Observing that the KITP’s “on-line changing a diaper). I can only imagine how latest in the world of physics.” that La Coronilla could serve as a permanent talks provide a surprisingly effective source of spectacularly useful and important it must be Gross credits the virtual KITP for temporary address for physicists—as a information otherwise unavailable,” Ginsparg for students and researchers in other parts of enabling the brick-and-mortar KITP to rental property gifted to the KITP. But as noted, “It helps that the KITP seminars are the country, and rest of the world, who do not remain “in the absolute vanguard of 21st- soon as I learned of the prospect of a Family uniformly of the highest quality, given by have comparable access to local resources. I century theoretical physics innovation.” See Family Fund on page 7 See Virtual Kitp on page 6 ondensed matter physicist atoms but large molecules or polymers—and Balents Becomes Leon Balents has been appointed a the residual forces between the molecules are Cpermanent member of the KITP. weaker, and that makes them hold themselves Sankar Das Sarma of the University of together not as strongly, so that their behavior KITP Resident Expert Maryland, who chairs the KITP advisory is more classical than quantum mechanical.” committee, served as chair of the search One great standing problem in hard- committee that chose Balents, who comes condensed-matter theory is to understand In Hard Condensed Matter to the KITP from the UCSB Department how certain cuprates (copper-oxide materials), of Physics. discovered experimentally some 20 years Said Das Sarma, “We conducted an ago, superconduct. What excites Balents international search to fill the position. It now is the discovery of an entirely new class certainly speaks well for the UCSB Physics of superconductors that are iron-arsenide Department that the best candidate we could based. Chemists in Japan and China made find for the position was already on campus. the discovery two years ago, and condensed We tried to identify a better candidate from matter theorists took notice about six months the outside, but couldn’t. Leon is a superb ago. By comparing and contrasting the iron- condensed matter theorist. We think he will arsenides with the cuprates, said Balents, be an extraordinary asset to the KITP. He is “We could really learn a lot about this general young and brilliant and creative—just the right phenomenon,” and maybe even make the characteristics for guiding programming in the potential theoretical breakthrough that has area of physics that represents more physicists been the goal for so many condensed matter than all other areas of physics combined and theorists for two decades. that has the most profound impact on the “Another pretty exciting development, direction of technological development and which is different and actually pretty heavily hence society.” driven by theory rather than experiment,” he After obtaining a 1989 BS degree in said, “is the realization that there can be physics physics and mathematics from MIT, Balents similar to the quantum Hall effect in two- and completed a 1994 PhD in physics from three-dimensional materials in zero magnetic Harvard. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the field as a result of spin orbit interactions. S pin then Institute for Theoretical Physics (ITP) at orbit is a kind of relativistic effect that usually is Santa Barbara from 1994 to 1998. After a year not very important in solids, but is an integral as technical staff member atB ell Laboratories, part of the Dirac equation that you would he joined the UCSB Physics Department in use if you were doing high energy physics,” 1999, was promoted to the tenured position explains Balents. of associate professor in 2001 and to professor Though it would take a lot of effort to in 2002. explain how, this development relates to a Balents said that his ITP postdoctoral possible whole new technology that would use fellowship “was by far the most important the spin of particles. All of modern technology experience in my career. Coming here from (with a very few spin-based exceptions) makes Harvard was such a change in atmosphere and use of the charge of particles. level of activity that it took my breath away.” Balents, who confesses, “I am a little His experiences at the ITP converted backward in personal technology; I rarely use Balents from soft- to hard-condensed-matter a cell phone,” nonetheless is engaged in laying Randall Lamb theory. “I got into soft condensed matter to start the intellectual infrastructure for transformative with,” he said, “because it was very accessible. technologies. “Yes,” he said, “I do get glimpses Leon Balents (front) and his physics graduate students Miles Stoudenmire (l), Sungbin Lee, With advanced mathematics, you could get in of technologies to come. Envisioning them is and Gang Chen and just attack research problems.” a big part of the motivation ultimately. I like to Condensed matter physics is largely sit back and ask myself what would make, not concerned with the study of materials—i.e., an incremental improvement, but an order of matter that is “condensed” or holds itself magnitude change.” What Is Special About the KITP Mode together, which largely means solids and Of his KITP appointment, Balents liquids. A handy way of distinguishing soft- said, “For years I’ve looked at the permanent from hard-condensed-matter theory is that members as scientific heroes. I am thrilled For Doing Science? the former deals with problems in which to be one. What a fantastic environment for quantum mechanics is not essential; whereas doing science right in the middle of all these he KITP enables scientists to interact for several weeks. The two had discussed with problems in hard condensed matter, active programs and working with the top in a way that differs significantly from the their work in passing at various conferences. quantum mechanics is more the rule than the postdocs from around the world and with ways provided by the customary venues for “Here,” said, Padoan, “we talked and talked, T exception. such wonderful colleagues.” interaction, as the following account shows. and we are finally on the same page.” “Like most other things in physics,” said Balents has served as an organizer of two That agreement, he said, “would not have Balents, “it comes down to energy scales and KITP programs: “Exotic Order and Criticality The standard theory for star formation has happened if we went to a dozen more length scales. What makes a material hard in Quantum Systems” in 2004 and “Moments assumed the presence of strong magnetic fields conferences,” because the two scientists are very strong forces holding the particles and Multiplets in Mott Materials” last fall. in the molecular-hyrodgen clouds where stars needed to be able to engage in sustained together, and the basic forces that hold atoms The recipient of an SN F Career Award, are formed. Paolo Padoan of UC San Diego discussion. together are very strong. In soft materials the he has also been awarded Sloan Foundation has been arguing, on the basis of computer The opportunity for sustained discussion building blocks are bigger—not individual and Packard Foundation fellowships. simulations, for weak fields or, more precisely, is what the KITP affords visiting scientists. for a scatter—i.e., in some places strong, in Often, scientists, especially when others weak. The test for the scatter model they disagree about significant issues, said is whether it fits the observations, which are Padoan, “need much more time than at KITP Ranks First done by radio astronomers, such as Richard a conference or at a shorter workshop to continued from page 1 Crutcher at the University of Illinois. really reach an agreement, to really nail But observers talk one language, so to certain problems down completely. If we Ignoring big tails in the citation individual departments within universities, speak; and computer simulators, another. don’t spend enough time communicating distribution, the h index stresses not the national laboratories, and institutes. It So the problem of testing model against on a single issue, we end up wasting time most influential papers, but the pattern provides, in effect, a way of comparing apples observation turns on communication because we have to come back to the same of influential papers and therefore career and oranges. between people. problem. Here, we can talk today and talk productivity. For instance, the h index would Visitors to the KITP are asked to Padoan served as an organizer for the again tomorrow and the next day until not unduly weight a review article that is acknowledge in their papers the work done at four-month-long “Star Formation” program we completely understand each other and highly cited, but as such is the exception the KITP. Such acknowledgement is standard at KITP in fall 2007, and Crutcher visited know we are speaking the same language.” rather than the rule in a given scientist’s procedure pertaining to working visits in People, even scientists, pattern of citation. the academic community. In its first place sometimes prefer not to hear The PNAS article uses this h index for assessment of the KITP, the PNAS article used objections because they have individuals cumulatively to measure the “data from even years beginning with 1980 Newsletter from the KITP a vested interest in a certain research impact of science research facilities and ending with 1998.” The reason given for result or theory. But at KITP, (including mathematics and the engineering the 1998 cutoff is the need to allow time for Vol. 4, No. 1, Spring / Summer 2008 said Padoan, people have fields, but excluding biomedical science) citations to accrue. the opportunity to question, wherein these individuals function. Plotting As the h index factors out the anomalously confront, and argue with each h versus the size of an institution turned up a highly cited paper, whether Nobel Prize winner Editor / Writer: Jacquelyn Savani other. A discussion scheduled simple scaling law: for a large group, h scales or review article, so the normalized h index [email protected] for 30 minutes can take 90 as the number of papers to the 2/5 power. factors out the presence of one stellar and because content can override Thereby the h indices of institutions can be oft cited scientist in the midst of a pedestrian Design / Production: Charmien Carrier the exigencies of schedule, as normalized to factor out differences such as group. So what is being assessed is the overall content generally cannot in a size. In other words, a physics department scientific efficacy of environments as producers This newsletter is a publication of the conference setting. with 50 faculty members can thereby be of significant scientific research, and in the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics. “I have been grilled here compared equitably to a physics department physical sciences, including mathematics, the on one of my papers for three with 100 faculty, since one would expect the KITP achieves the highest impact. hours,” said Padoan. “They were absolute number of published paper citations How well does KITP achieve its mission after me like jackals, but it was by the latter to outnumber the former simply of creating an environment to enhance fun; it was great! That is how because there are twice as many scientists significant scientific research? The answer, science is done.” publishing papers that can be cited. according to the PNAS article, is better than The normalized h index enables further any other nonbiomedical research facility in comparisons of different types of research the United States and, therefore, probably the environments such as universities as a whole, world. In conformance with applicable law and University policy, the University of California is an equal opportunity employer. Inquiries regarding the University's equal opportunity policies 2 may be directed to Joseph I. Castro, coordinator, Affirmative Action Office, 1503 South Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 Kevin Barron How Brains Think About Themselves When They Come Together to Consider That Question Systematically

The three parts of the workshops— step is to go back and understand the development, optimization/anatomy, and developmental mechanisms and look for evolution—represent three approaches those rules and see what those rules are that employed by three usually distinct sets of generated the system. These could be rules of researchers to understanding the brain’s how you generate a map and rules for how you architecture. Integrating those approaches minimize the amount of wire that is used and was the key aim of the workshop. Wang said rules for how the system can teach itself things Cerebellum neuron, that such an integrated approach was novel. once it is born and comes into the world. These filled with fluorescent Wang’s expertise is in optical tech- rules are ultimately driven by developmental dye through glass nologies for monitoring neuro-circuitry mechanisms.” pipet (projecting in the living animal. His laboratory Said Wang, “There is a whole field of from bottom) and specializes in a technique called “two-photon biology called evolutionary and developmental visualized using two- microscopy.” His research interests also biology, known to its proponents as ‘evo-devo,’ photon microscopy. include quantitative comparisons among which has been thinking in this way about species, particularly as related to the question other body systems.” of how brain structures scale up. As he The last week or so of the workshop Sam Wang explained that research question, “When brought an evolutionary perspective to brain you compare different species with each development. Said Wang, “At the end, one other, as brains get larger, what are the laws thing that has been very interesting to me is n Alcoholic drinks ingested don’t kill brain cells. that govern how they scale up? doing analysis at the level of the sequence of “For me,” said Wang, “a large part of proteins and genetic information to try to n Crossword puzzles and Sudoku don’t ward off senile dementia or this workshop was learning about areas of understand how genomes may have evolved Alzheimer’s nearly as effectively as physical exercise can. research different from my own.” or to try to understand how proteins may n One area is “the development of have evolved. Nicotine and caffeine are two of the most powerful enhancers technologies for taking a block of tissue “A very large fraction of the genes in the of brain functioning yet discovered. [the neuropil], cutting that tissue up section genome,” he said, “are expressed in the brain n by section, and coming up with a detailed and not in other parts of the body.” There The answer to the question, “How much of your brain are structure of that tissue.” Giving talks on their seems to be a lot of genome that is dedicated you likely using?” is “All.” efforts to develop these technologies were to coding the brain. Apparently, a lot of n Winfried Denk of the Max Plank Institute evolutionary effort with respect to the genome If you are left-handed, you are more likely either to score higher on the for Biomedical Optics, Sebastian Seung of has gone into setting up this optimized brain. SATs or to have a severe intellectual deficit than if you are right-handed. MIT, and Dmitri Chklovskii of the Howard That evolutionary effort, in turn, indicates Hughes Medical Institute. why, said Wang, “It is really important to rinceton neuroscientist How have brains been optimized over the One of the difficulties with sectioning join up ideas of optimization with ideas of Sam Wang used the same title for his course of evolution to be very good at what they brains in the past, said Wang, “was development.” PApril 16 public lecture at the KITP as do? How have evolutionary forces and natural reassembling the slices.” Winfried Denk has For all the emphasis on “optimization” as for his new book, Welcome to the Brain, and selection shaped brain architecture? Those are made a major innovation in this technique a key concept for understanding brains, Wang the same provocative subtitle, Why You Lose the overriding questions variously considered by by taking pictures of a fixed block face of likens the evolution of the brain “to building Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive the 69 brain workshop participants. tissue as each slice is taken so that a series an airplane after the plane has taken off.W hat and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life. The lecture, One approach to those questions, which of pictures are created whose images are I mean is that every generation of every species at least, could have as fittingly been called, comes from the core of modern neuroscience, automatically in line with each other because in the history of the diversification of animals “Welcome to the Brain: What It Thinks It aims to understand mechanisms of how the block doesn’t move. has had to be well adapted to its niche; and so, Knows About Itself but Doesn’t.” As the above brains and their components—neurons and “This is a very simple idea,” said as a result, there is some brain plan that was laid sample indicates, Wang has an uncanny knack glia—have developed. The first part of the Wang, “but technically difficult because out fairly early in the history of vertebrates that for identifying misinformation about the workshop, organized by Lemke, focused on of problems with exactly how you get an if you look hard enough and deeply enough brain. development issues. electron beam to generate a useful image into a human brain, you can find vestiges of Wang majored in physics as an Neurobiologists discussed processes that under these conditions. There are little tricks that old design. On top of it other things got undergraduate, and did his graduate work occur when, for instance, axons extend and that Winfried and his collaborators employ piled; and on top of them, other things.” at Stanford in neuroscience. A recent article become operational. (Axons are long, slender to get the technique to work.” The evolutionary perspective tends to published in his undergraduate alumni look at the brain in terms of innovating on magazine, Caltech News, reported on Wang’s a series of preexisting platforms—from the transition from physics to biology: “One of “A very large fraction of the genes in the genome are bottom up, so to speak. Optimization, by the greatest challenges was replacing some contrast, invokes a top-down perspective of the intuitive approaches he had come expressed in the brain and not in other parts of the body.” observing how well the brain works and asking to rely on in physics with different modes how and why. of thought. Another was the large mass of These two viewpoints can inform each knowledge that had to be acquired. ‘The field nerve fibers that conduct electrical impulses.) These technologies for making images other, Wang said. “These fields—brain was a zoo—literally,’ he says. Researchers have Discussion focused on the rules neurons use to of the brain generate huge databases, which optimization and brain evolution—have ‘accumulated a large body of information, but grow and to extend, both at the molecular level in turn present a challenge for analysis. previously not communicated much with one they’re still trying to find out the organizing as well as at the systems level, i.e., how circuits Some workshop participants are experts another. What the workshop aimed to do— principles behind it.’” get hooked up in the developing brain. in automated recovery of structures. Their and did do!—was to get the proponents of Those are key remarks for contemplating The second part of the workshop pondered work, said Wang, promises to turn up these views talking to each other.” the marriage of physics and biology being how brains might be optimized—in the sense significant finds in the next few years. Why do we forget where we put our car consummated in KITP workshops such as of using, so to speak, the least amount of wire Another particularly exciting area keys, but remember how to drive? “Anatomy, Development, and Evolution or energy to do their job. “This is an area,” of research looks at how nervous systems In English, at least, we have but one word of the Brain,” from March 17 to April 25. said Wang, “which attracts physicists and the might be optimized from the viewpoint of for “memory”; but Wang told his KITP public Physics, as a mature science, is characterized as area with which physicists who have started to developmental biological mechanisms—i.e., lecture audience, “Your brain has a half-dozen much (if not more) by a way of thinking that is work on neuroscience problems are likely the putting the viewpoints presented in parts different memory systems,” and the system for profoundly quantitative, as it is by the content most familiar.” He describes a realm of research one and two of the workshop together. driving is different from the short-term system or accumulated knowledge of the field. In in which theorists look for minimization The human brain with 1011 connections for key recall. For a more detailed answer, biology, details still matter a lot. Whether principles, and experimentalists design tools and 1015 synapses runs on 12 watts of power. see Welcome to Your Brain, co-authored with theory beyond Darwin and DNA will play and techniques to reconstruct entire blocks of So, how does it accomplish all that it does Sandra Aamodt, editor of Nature Neurosicence, a systematizing role analogous to its role in neuronal circuitry. in such a small space and with such a small and published March 2008. physics remains a great question. Neuroscientists call that block of neuronal energy budget? Answering that question is In addition to his public lecture and circuitry a “neuropil,” a “pile” of connections pivotal to understanding brain architectures. attendant book signing, Wang served as one between axons and dendrites all packed together Said Wang, “Developmental mech- of five organizers of the KITP brain-design in a seemingly solid mass of tissue. (Nerves are anisms are critical for understanding how workshop. The other organizers were Ken made up of two fibers, axons and dendrites, one might have a system that makes itself Kosik of UCSB, Alexei Koulakov of Cold which protrude from the central cell body. optimal simply by the rules it uses at a Spring Harbor, Greg Lemke of the Salk Axons transmit, or send out, and dendrites cellular level to set up the whole system. Institute, and Sara Solla of Northwestern receive neurotransmitters at synapses.) Tracing The idea here would be that the genome University. Wang added, “Of course, we connections through a neuropil is a really hard determines cellular mechanisms, and got lots of advice from [KITP permanent problem. It’s like mapping electronic circuits on these cellular mechanisms work to drive member] Boris Shraiman because he has a chip, but in three- instead of two-dimensions. development, and those developmental lots of interest in the subject matter.” The third part of the brain workshop mechanisms generate the organism. The brain workshop, said Wang, “aimed focused on understanding the evolution of “So, if you think that the organism is to bring together several different threads in brains in the context of comparison with the optimized in some way, then one logical brain design and, more broadly, evolutionary brains of other species. biology and also theoretical physics in a way that had not been done before.” Sam Wang S.A. Solla 3 small stars with “low-metallicity” would be throes of the first stars would have ionized the close enough to earth to be detectable. medium, i.e., turning hydrogen atoms into Observers have found some stars that hydrogen ions or plain protons, and thereby have an amount of iron in them that is only giving rise to a process or chemistry for star 1/100,000 as much as the sun’s. Even though formation different from the very first process. the amount of iron is dramatically low, the Looking for those stars with low amount of the lighter element carbon is down metallicity—living fossils, so to speak—is akin only by a factor of 10; the relative amount of to doing stellar archaeology. They provide, carbon is 10,000 times higher compared to the according to McKee, “a very important iron. So those stars provide interesting clues observational window on star formation.” about the environment in early times after the What it would take to open that window first stars and therefore retrospectively about wider is the proposed, very large 30-meter the processes within the first stars. telescope. The partnership to build the It may, in fact, be that low-metallicity stars estimated $750-million instrument includes reflect back not to the first, but to the second the University of California, the California generation of stars forming in an ionized Institute of Technology, and Canada, and medium before the true advent of metals. is being spearheaded by UCSB Chancellor The radiation emitted in the supernova death Henry Yang.

Chris McKee (l) and Tom Abel Charmien Carrier How Do Stars Form? Differently, at Different Cosmic Times

urprisingly, “the formation of the likens those primordial objects to “rock stars” first stars is in some respects the best (e.g., Janis Joplin or Jim Morrison)—living Sdefined star formation mode,” according fast, brilliantly flaming out, and dying young. to the on-line prospectus for the program The more massive the star, the shorter “Star Formation Through Cosmic Time,” held its life, and the more likely it is to collapse in Aug. 6 to Dec 7, 2007. What is surprising is upon itself and expire in a supernova explosion. the implication that a process that took place Since core collapse and supernova are the fate some 13 billion years ago (about 700 million of stars eight times or more massive than the years after the beginning Big Bang) should be sun, those first stars—roughly 100 times better understood than the process in ensuing more massive than the sun—were doomed to epochs of the universe, including our own annihilate in titanic explosions that emitted right now. Why? Theorists think things were the fused nuclei of elements (i.e., heavier than simpler back then. the stars’ initial constituent hydrogen), as well What key scientific issues did the as enormous amounts of radiation. program address? Both the heavy elements and the radiation, Said Chris McKee of Berkeley, one of in turn, altered the environment or medium four organizers, “What we wanted to try to do and changed the process of star formation. was to discuss all the aspects of star formation, For instance, seeding the medium with heavy starting with the very earliest stars and coming elements enabled little stars to be formed. up to the present. There has been an enormous Their appearance represents something akin amount of progress recently in observing and to a phase transition in the history of the understanding the formation and evolution universe. The smaller the star, the longer is its of galaxies and the general structure of the life; so some of the first small stars—those less universe. One of the parts of that whole picture than 0.8 solar mass—presumably still exist. which is most uncertain is actually how stars Since stars smaller than the sun are more form. So we wanted to try to bring together numerous than stars more massive than the experts from around the world to make some sun, how can observers tell the difference in progress on that question.” age between two small stars? Tom Abel of Stanford, another of the program’s coordinators, specializes in the Not Heavy Metal first stars. He creates computer simulations The presumption is that the oldest small stars to model the process whereby the very first would be made from an interstellar medium stars—shining as much as a million times with a dearth of metals. Observers today are brighter than our sun—were formed. He looking for stars that have very small amounts of metals. They have to look in our ownM ilky Genesis simulated Way galaxy, which is the only place where such The most common type of star is slightly smaller than the sun, which is itself half through its 10-billion-year lifespan. Late in life, stars less than eight times as massive as the sun expand into “red giants” Observers of Star-Forming (larger [hence “giants”] but cooler [hence “red”]), and then the outer envelope puffs away leaving a little more than half the original Confer With Its Simulators mass. What is left is a white dwarf, and what is puffed out contains a dust of heavy elements of the “real” world that the observer now “sees” “For observers like me, there are things that in turn also alters the environment for star (though “see” is even more a misnomer with that we can measure that we don’t appreciate formation. Keith Kie So the processes, whereby stars form, Alyssa Goodman radio astronomy than with optical astronomy). are so critically important. To determine whether the simulations fit the “It turned out that the theorists were change across cosmic time because the stuff Within the “Star Formation” observations, the “picture” produced by the really obsessed with this idea that changes in out of which they form changes. program, Alyssa Goodman of the Harvard/ simulations has to be modified to appear the equation of state of the gas could cause Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics ran the way it would if an earth-bound observer very subtle differences in the density profile The Importance of Dust a workshop on large surveys of nearby star were now surveying the simulated space via of particular blobs of gas that were forming For instance, dust is important because atoms formation regions. Goodman, a program telescope. stars. We can measure density profiles fairly stick to it. It has some sort of surface that organizer, is an observer, who heads the Another goal of the workshop was for accurately, but they didn’t realize (and we neutral hydrogen atoms can move around COMPLETE Survey. both observers and theorists “to understand didn’t realize they didn’t realize) that we can on. Two hydrogen atoms moving on dust are The workshop aimed to bring together the observational biases of the different kinds also measure the temperature profile pretty more likely to find each other than if the dust survey leaders—astronomers who use mostly of surveys,” according to Goodman. “There well, though it is very difficult to do and very grain weren’t there. When the two neutral radio telescopes to collect data on molecular- were questions about what the mass spectrum uncertain. Back in my own group, we are now hydrogen atoms come together, they make a hyrodgen clouds and star formation in large of gas is before it actually forms stars in focusing on what we can do to better quantify hydrogen molecule, and the binding energy swaths of the actual sky—with theorists, conjunction with different models that were the uncertainty in these temperature and of the molecule usually lifts them off the dust especially simulators who are modeling star being discussed in the program,” she said. “The density profiles because this little factoid is so grain. Hence, dust particles are important formation via computer, to understand better theories make different predictions about that, important to the theorists. contributors in turning gas clouds into the the star-birthing process. and so people were very interested in what “From reading the literature, we didn’t molecular form of hydrogen. In an exercise worthy of the most kinds of constraints are entailed in these large appreciate that need,” she said. “It is hard to Stars form in clouds of molecular arcane postmodernist fantasy, the observers statistical surveys.” tell from the literature the difference between a hydrogen. The clouds are cold and dark. and the simulators conferred in order to The workshop’s benefits for theorists are question and a super-important question.” But the first stars formed before there adjust the simulations, which operate (inside clear, so what benefit is there for observers? Talking face to face does have was dust. So the first epoch of star formation computers, so to speak) in a three-dimensional “First of all,” said Goodman, “we get advantages for doing science, as Goodman’s differed significantly from star formation representational space evolving over millions of to talk to each other, which is very valuable. example shows. years, to look the way the simulations would Second, we get to hear what the theorists are in the two-dimensional representation plane thinking about our observations. 4 in successive epochs. All the gases for star can condense to much higher densities than to understand the rate of star formation idealized computer experiments with the formation early on were warmer in part the dark matter.” quantitatively and not just qualitatively, single purpose of understanding the physics of because no dust absorbed radiation, and the What did change over time was the role which is the kind of understanding that supersonic turbulence, both with and without typical speeds for interactions were therefore of dark matter in star formation. “Though people had before.” magnetic fields. And that’s what we did for faster, so massive stars of pure hydrogen grew the very first stars formed in the gravitational What is so intriguing about the mass almost 10 years. In fact, we add gravity in the fast. Since it takes lower temperatures to make potential well of this dark matter,” said McKee, distribution of stars is how fixed it appears to code, but kept it off. (It’s been hard to resist low mass stars, there weren’t any early on. “right now when stars form, all the baryons are be across cosmic time despite the differences in the temptation of turning gravity on because “If something is warm,” said Abel, “it has gathering together, and the dark matter has star formation processes across time. (The sun when you turn on gravity, you form stars.) more pressure; and so it will try to resist gravity nothing to do with it.” When the sun formed is a little bit more massive than average.) “We discovered universal statistical much more than something cold unless, of five billion years ago, the dark matter played “We are looking for general principles properties of turbulence,” he said. “The beauty course, the something that is warm is more no role. that predict this distribution and give of turbulence is that it’s very complex, but it’s massive, so that it experiences a gravitational McKee estimates that 99 percent of probabilities,” said McKee. got some kind of self-organization, or else there force strong enough to counter the thermal experts on star formation affirm that the first “If,” he explained, “the spectrum of the wouldn’t be this mass spectrum of stars. There pressure. That is why there could only have stars were massive. stellar mass is dependent on the details of the is a pattern, universal and scale-free. We think been larger stars early on. A contrary but creative view (by Katherine physical condition, then you’d think you would we have learned the probability distribution “Our simulations predict only big ones Freese of the University of Michigan and her find completely different distributions of mass of the density field and the scaling of velocity early on. They can’t make small ones. Those student Douglas Spolyar of the University of in different places, but you don’t. If you look at in turbulence, and then we use those statistics findings are consistent with observations.” California at Santa Cruz and their collaborator globular clusters [the most ancient stars found to model analytically the mass distribution in globs spherically distributed in the Milky of stars. Soon we will have a theory of star Way] these very, very old stars generally exhibit formation, which is in a sense analytical, but a peak in their mass spectrum that is similar to whose ingredients—the fundamental results of the peak inside the disk [the extended plane of supersonic turbulence—could not have been the galaxy where gas and dust are densest and achieved without numerical simulations.” where star formation is ongoing]. The physical Looking ahead, Padoan said, “In order conditions when a globular cluster formed to convince the community, especially at this would probably have been very different than point, requires a world-record simulation. the physical conditions in star formation today, It’s going to have to be a realistic simulation and yet somehow the typical mass is the same!” of a star-forming region, not just an idealized exclaims the usually quiet-spoken McKee. numerical experiment.” Then comes the Why? The answer likely has to do with next step, “We—and others—have to try to the overriding and most important topic of disprove the theory, which is very important!” the “Star Formation” program—turbulence or he said. chaotic motion in the gas. The Third Way Is Turbulence the Key? McKee calls computer simulations the third Said McKee, “The issue that has been a way of doing physics. The other two are constant source of discussion is turbulence, theory/analytic technique and experiment. both in the interstellar medium and in the Numerical simulations seem like a kind molecular clouds. What is the source of this of telescope that brings cosmic events far, far turbulence that is everywhere observed? We away in time and space to focus in mind. really don’t have a very good understanding.” Talking star formation with both simulators, Turbulence may be the key to star Padoan and Abel, is quite an experience formation. Most of the astrophysicists because they seem to be describing vast attending the program think so though some, cosmic events that they are actually seeing such as Frank Shu of San Diego, disagree. occur in their minds’ eye. Like the other much discussed phenomenon Padoan seems to peer deep inside dark of magnetism, turbulence is thought both to molecular clouds of hydrogen to discern inhibit and to enhance star formation. sheets, formed in rebound from shocks, in Most importantly, turbulence, because turn intersecting and forming filaments that it is universal, may provide a natural way of then intersect and form the core where the explaining a universal pattern such as the mass proto-star gestates. distribution of stars across cosmic time. Such Abel conjures up the first stars turning an explanation would mean, of course, that on like fireworks going off in the darkness regularities pertain with respect to chaotic that “was upon the face of the deep” motion. and gives new meaning to the old divine “We decided,” said Padoan, “to do injunction, “Let there be light.”

Tom Abel

Conversely, it gets harder and harder to Paolo Gondolo of the University of Utah) make big, big stars as the universe evolves. paints a picture of the lightest sypersymmetric Though Abel speaks with conviction particles and their anti-particles bashing into about the first stars, there is a contrarian’s one another, annihilating, and turning into view (as with most aspects of the various hugely energetic gamma rays and electrons and star formation scenarios across cosmic time). positrons. All that energy in turn would halt Understanding that view, even briefly, requires the fledgling first star’s contraction. In place an introduction to the dark matter, which the of the massive first star that Abel’s simulations standard view of early star formation sees as envision appears a curious object with a radius creating the “potential well” that enabled the 10 times that of the sun (about the distance first star formation. from earth to sun) though only a little more massive. The stuff of this star would be so Down the Dark Matter Well diffuse that instead of running on normal, Dark matter is called “dark” because it does stellar nuclear reactions, it would be powered not radiate, but interacts with baryonic or by dark matter annihilation. ordinary matter (made up of protons and Despite such an intriguing alternative neutrons) gravitationally. What exactly dark hypothesis, there is consensus among most matter is, no one knows, though the best program participants about the construction guess is that it is comprised of the lightest of the first stars. But two big open questions supersymmetric particles whose existence is that engendered lively debates among the 116 postulated by a particle-physics theory called “Star Formation” program participants are: “Supersymmetry.” By far, most of the matter (1) How rapidly do stars form? in the universe is dark. (2) What explains the distribution of the As McKee explains, “The first stars formed mass of the stars that form? in a well that was created by dark matter, and McKee and one of his former students, as the baryons accumulated eventually they Mark Krumholz of Princeton, have put acquired a high enough density that they forth one point of view on the rate of star would become self-gravitating, and they formation. Another of the program organizers, would collapse on their own. The difference Paolo Padoan of the University of California between the baryons and the dark matter at San Diego, has done new simulations that is that the baryons can lose energy [radiate]. could confirm that theoretical model, and When two baryons collide, they lose energy perhaps extend it to include the effect of by radiation. As far as we know, dark matter magnetic fields.M cKee, who finds Padoan’s colliding doesn’t lose energy; so the baryons results “interesting,” said, “We would like

5

Paolo Padoan (r) and his long-time collaborator Aake Nordlund Charmien Carrier them (it took a long time) and then put them to break the mold of the speaker’s set- issues for researchers–i.e., work in progress– onto the ’net.” talk illustrated with computer-based the presentations tend to lack the structured Virtual World For the second attempt, said visuals, these talks are meant to revert to clarity of published articles. The virtual continued from page 1 Eardley, “We added audio recording to the more traditional pedagogical mode of KITP enables auditors to go back and hear the transparencies so that the audience blackboard because the point of this series again intellectually provocative utterances, could hear the talk and see the slides. is for participants in one KITP program either not fully comprehended initially or Noting the disconnect in having That program,” Eardley said, “was on to explain their scientific concerns to appreciated only in retrospect. a work-a-day homepage as portal to “a ‘Jamming’—a topic pertaining to soft participants in another completely different Eardley describes one noted Caltech wonderland of some of the most far-seeing condensed matter systems, such as soap KITP program. To accommodate the special string theorist reporting how listening intellectual content on the web,” Gross said bubbles and grains of sand. If sand is blackboard challenge, Eardley generally to KITP talks via car radio eased the that he had recently asked Eardley to chair dumped out of a bucket, the flow falters at operates the cameras himself. arduousness of the commutes (100-mile+, a committee (including Stuart Mabon and first and then avalanches. There is a lot of “In the almost new auditorium,” said one-way) between Pasadena and Santa Simon Raab, successful businessmen and scientific subtlety in that.” Eardley of the technically well-equipped Barbara. (String theory is one of those entrepreneurs, who are members of the Though an astrophysicist, Eardley in facility in the 2004 addition where the physics fields where the material is so KITP Director’s Council) to oversee an his role of KITP web impresario has heard “Blackboard Talks” generally occur, “each of complex that any given talk by one string overhaul of the KITP web site. The mission a lot of talks and snippets of very many two cameras looks at part of a blackboard. I theorist is likely not understood by another is to design and implement homepage and more talks on all the other areas of physics, have made a bunch of technical tools to try string theorist [at least on first hearing].) user interfaces that accord with the brilliance including those interfacing especially with to automate editing together the separate What enables talks to be heard over of the interior offerings. the car radio is their availability since 2005 via the KITP web Traffic Tallies site in Podcast format for Whatever its homepage im- downloading to computer- pressions, the KITP web site based iTunes or Windows is extraordinarily popular. Media Player and from there to The total number of hits for an iPod or other MP3 player, the 12-month period ending whose output can in turn be March 31, 2008, comes to played over a radio via wireless 76,208,536 or about 209,000 or wired transmission. hits per day. That annual total Despite the availability of is up from the previous year’s new formats, a large number of total of 62,727,231 and the users still download KITP talks 2006 total of 44,877,855. in their original Real Audio The current annual tally of format. The other popular hits represents a roughly 75- format is Quick Time. Said fold increase in 10 years from Eardley, “I thought Real Audio the original annual total of was a ‘sunset’ niche product 1,272,123 back in 1998. (See that would by now have sunk chart, page 1.) below the user horizon, but Said Eardley, “We can that just hasn’t happened.” estimate only crudely the Early on in the history proportion of usage by the of the virtual KITP, Eardley public at large, in contrast contemplated the prospect to scientists. We believe this of recording the talks in full breakdown to be very roughly video as does the Mathematical 50/50 at present based on Sciences Research Institute ratios of hits from .com (MSRI), an NSF-funded facil- domains.” ity, akin to the KITP, located Charmien Carrier A really striking statistic on the Berkeley campus. is the sharp increase in Doug Eardley (l) and Kevin Barron But he opted initially for the downloads of audio-visual limited video of transparencies files for the 12-month period and PowerPoint. Anyone who ending in March over the has “watched” a KITP talk, previous two years: 8,600,000 downloads mathematics and biology. Eardley hears so views. I try to do this in five minutes. For a since the cameras have been running in in 2008; 2,800,000 downloads in 2007; much because he edits every talk. ‘Blackboard Talk,’ it may take 10 minutes. the seminar rooms, knows that the video and 620,000 downloads in 2006. “What I have tried to do,” he said, “is Occasionally, a mistake occurs, and then I coverage is intermittent. That approach “The steep increase (quadrupling each find out how to edit a one-hour talk with no have to go back and do a real-time job of makes smaller files that are amenable not year since 2005),” noted Eardley, “follows more than five minutes of editing time. The editing.” only to fast download, but also for eventual our introduction of several new kinds of main thing is to identify where a talk begins Asked if he plans on marketing his transfer to an iPod-like portable player. videos and podcasts for each talk.” and ends. The end is usually signified by editing software, Eardley said, “I try to give What does Eardley see as the next The speaker’s visuals are available to applause though there are usually questions away the software, though it’s hard to give innovation? a listener as a download separate from the that follow, which are often important to away because then we’re responsible for “We have to do the YouTube format, audio. These visual files in PDF-format include in the on-line version. The other supporting it.” Adobe Flash Technology.” average 25 slides per file. The annual tallies trick is to figure out when the talk begins, ascended from 393,000 downloads in 2006 which is almost always obvious though Terabyte Rule of Three Virtual KITP Top Ten to 599,000 downloads in 2007 to 739,000 most speakers like to warm up with either How does the KITP back up its terabytes What talks number among the Virtual downloads in 2008. inconsequential comments or a joke. The of data representing 10 years of KITP talks? KITP Top Ten? According to Eardley, “We can joke always presents a problem of whether “We do the same thing Google does,” said Two of the first three public lectures measure total bandwidth going out of this it is relevant to the talk or not.” Eardley. “Google doesn’t back anything dating back to 1998 turn out to be the most place. And we can determine with more The talks are recorded on two computers up on tape. We have everything on three popular: Edward Witten of the Institute for difficulty how increasing bandwidth usage to guard against a technical failure in one. different hard drives.” Advanced Study in Princeton on “Duality, pertains to increasing numbers of users. “We have had a chronic problem,” said One of the key editorial decisions that Spacetime and Quantum Mechanics” and The total bandwidth has doubled every Eardley, “of speakers forgetting to turn was made early on is that the KITP doesn’t MIT’s Wolfgang Ketterle on “A New Form year,” said Eardley. on their microphone or of turning it off, own the talk; the speaker does. of Matter: Bose-Einstein Condensation and “The number of users is increasing more so a computer staff member appears at “Our original thought,” said Eardley, the Atom Laser.” Interest in the Ketterle slowly by, we think, some 20 to 30 percent a the start of every talk and does a couple “was that we wanted to post the talks so that public lecture surged when he won the year. Better computers,” Eardley explained, of things: makes sure the speaker’s laptop scientists elsewhere could follow as a means 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics. “mean that more data can be downloaded at is working and that the microphone to our of scientific communication, but we soon Of the staple fare for scientists, the 2001 high quality video feed, so that the number two recording computers is turned on and realized that the talks had huge educational program with the seemingly nondescript of people downloading is not going up as operating when the talk begins.” value for the physics and allied science and title “Statistical Physics and Biological fast as the actual bandwidth–the bits and Video above and beyond copies mathematics communities, as well as for Information” tops the KITP bestseller list. bytes—being downloaded. But increasing of transparencies and PowerPoint was the intelligent lay public who want to learn “Thousands of people are still listening the number of people who download per instituted in the late ’90s. The cameras about science. to those talks after all these years,” said year by 20 to 30 percent still means that our were installed initially in the two seminar “That realization about the identity of Eardley, who notes that biologists especially growth cumulatively over the past decade rooms in the original Kohn Hall building our users has helped guide our choice and “love the medium” of the virtual KITP. has been enormous.” to accommodate video conferencing. Once use of technology. At first we thought we’d Programs with large pedagogical the cameras were in place, it just seemed use the most advanced technology, but we content—giving physicists access to biology Transparencies to Start obvious that they should be used to record got cries for help from places like India and biologists access to physics—have The first experiment with putting KITP video of the speaker. and Chile where there are sophisticated what Eardley calls “the longest legs.” All programming on line dates to 1997 with Most speakers, using computer- scientists and great scientific programs, but of the biophysics programs have legs that “Supernovae,” held from Aug. 15 to based presentation software to illustrate where the infrastructure is not as good as are long, as do the mathematical programs Dec. 15. That program is memorable in their words, write little on a blackboard it is in the U.S. So we decided to provide with again that pedagogical component retrospect because some participants were though one of the two fixed cameras in a choice whereby people can get high designed to bridge the disciplines of then engaged in analyzing the supernovae the three seminar rooms is trained to bandwidth and low bandwidth versions. mathematics and physics. Type Ia data, which led to the earth- zoom in on writing. We try to provide the most advanced Interestingly, the most popular of the shaking conclusion that the expansion rate of technology, but still have low bandwidth KITP mainstay talks are also the most the universe is now accelerating. Interestingly, Blackboard Challenge stuff easily available to everyone.” interdisciplinary. that first effort at on-line programming But the weekly “Blackboard Talks” present The virtual KITP benefits participants pertained only to visual information. Eardley a special problem for video recording arriving mid-program. Access to earlier recalls, “One staff member collected all the because speakers are encouraged to make presentations enables latecomers to become transparencies (those were the days before more extensive use of the blackboard as current with program content. Also, widespread use of PowerPoint) and scanned a medium for communication. Intended because talks within programs address edge

6 Coordinating Housing Resembles 3-Dimensional Chess

irector David Gross unusual–a cement water tank converted to used for single visitors, of is accustomed to explaining the guest cottage on a ranch in the Foothills) to which about 40 are used Dlogistics of KITP operations to determine tenant suitability. regularly (the rest are a bit audiences around the world who wish to “The KITP housing process reminds far away or are not always emulate it as a retreat facility for scientific me,” she said, “of that three-dimensional available).” research. He said, “When I tell them that chess game they used to play on the old In addition, she said, the KITP hosts 1,000 visitors a year and Star Trek television series. Moving one “I increasingly use resources that we match 500 of them to a variety of piece affects many other pieces on multiple such as ‘Craigslist’ or online local housing options and that we have one dimensions. I have to take into account vacation rentals to expand housing coordinator, they are amazed. Our the rental provider (when the property is rental inventory when I do housing coordinator, Monica Curry, is a available or not); who is most suitable for not have something suitable treasure.” the house (kids or not); what transportation for visitors.” According to After eight years working as a real options pertain to a property; and, finally, Curry, “a small handful” of estate agent in the Santa Barbara area, there is the price range. visiting physicists use those Curry joined the KITP in 1993. “This job “Sometimes I have a house and a same on-line resources to is perfect for me,” said Curry, “because it is visitor that don’t quite fit each other,” she find their own housing about relationships.” said, “but I know no better match is likely, accommodations. The rest The self-described “people-person” so I have to sell the provider and/or the of the visitors whom she recognized the same attribute in Ann and renter on each other. Then the worst case doesn’t house “stay mostly Mike Rice when she first visited them at sometimes happens when that unlikely in hotels.” the home that Ann would later give to the better arrangement does turn up, and I Asked about the KITP in order to establish an endowment have to undo my own persuasive message pattern of family use, for its newly conceived Family Fund. The in order to make a better all-around match Curry said, “We previously relationship between the Rices and Curry by moving the first tenant elsewhere to put did not have the ability to evolved over the years into a friendship. a more suitable tenant in the initial tenant’s note family status in our Charmien Carrier Ironically, the house that turned into place.” database, but have recently Sarah Vaughan (l) and Monica Curry the Drs. Ann and Myron Rice Family Fund Curry describes the non-physicist added this criterion and will was itself unsuitable for housing families components of her version of three- be tracking it henceforth.” with young children. Said Curry, “It wasn’t dimensional chess as follows: “I have six Curry said that for the purposes of crafting So Curry not only cultivated the set up for families because of the extensive university apartments and approximately a proposal for the Family Fund, she and KITP relationship that led to the Drs. Ann and collection of Western art and figurines. 50 private apartments and condos (although development director Sarah Vaughan worked Myron Rice Family Fund, but also helped I eyed those pieces and imagined what only about 35 or so tend to be available at up “guesstimates” of usage patterns. The Vaughan envision it beforehand. “Monica energetic young children might do to them, a given time). Of these, only the university number of families visiting three months is marvelous!” said Vaughan. so I limited its availability to couples and apartments and about six or fewer of the during the summer has averaged eight to families with older children.” private units are suitable for families; the 10, and the number of families visiting five Curry similarly assesses each housing rest are for couples or singles. I have a months during the academic year programs unit under her purview (including the most roster of about 60 ‘room in a home’ rentals has averaged five to eight.

Family Fund finance and investment. The author of two children. Yes, we also expect that the fund The Family Fund will address this college textbooks on family management will aid male physicists who are operating need directly through subsidies, as well as and more than 50 articles and one book as single parents or whose visit to the KITP indirectly through staff support to compile chapter related to teaching financial requires extra resources to support their and maintain a password-protected alcove management, Rice also served on the board family unit. But the main advantage of this on the KITP home page. Parents can of the Consumers Union. Honored for her wonderful gift is that it enables us better to access this resource in conjunction with a service on the advisory board of the U.S. welcome women physicists by offering to “wiki,” a forum (or blog) to promote on- Department of Agriculture, she was named offset the added challenges of their leaving line information exchanges among parent- Alumna of the Year by Georgia College and home with children in tow in order to do physicists to enable assessment of local State University (formerly GSCW). research at the KITP. child-care and schooling options. Born “Myron,” but known as “Mike” “I want to add how impressed I Perhaps the least obvious of the thereafter, Rice, an Ohio native, attended am, Dr. Rice, with your professional additional costs the Family Fund can Miami University, where he obtained accomplishments, achieved in an era, not so address entails paying to preserve the bachelor and master degrees in business, long ago, when equal opportunity between daycare or schooling provision that and Cleveland College, where he earned the genders not only did not exist, but had parents have already secured at home. a doctor of chiropractics. After enlisting yet to be conceived as a worthy goal. Thank A parent might well feel compelled to in the U.S. Army Air Force in 1941 and you, Dr. Rice; you have made the KITP choose preserving such a service (often serving in Europe during World War II, more family-friendly.” hard-won) over risking its loss, through Mike met and married Ann. They were The Family Fund addresses the following payment interruption, in order to advance married for 52 years. needs: appropriate housing, childcare and a research career. A skilled metal smith, Mike designed schooling, and transportation. Ann Rice orthopedic footwear for children. In Transportation addition to his chiropractic practice, he Housing Curry notes that another need women owned and operated a trucking company. According to Curry, whose job it is to match physicists, with or without children, have (in continued from page 1 Awarded a Utah State University doctorate physicists to accommodations, families contrast to men) is for safe transportation. in business education in 1972, he served obviously require more, and therefore more Frequently, men can comfortably bike Fund, I thought it would be a wonderfully as professor at Santa Barbara City College expensive, space than the lone physicist at night between the KITP and their appropriate memorial for Mike, who was for 20 years, where in addition to teaching or couple. Families generally can’t be accommodations. But the same route may so encouraging and supportive of my own he chaired the business department and accommodated in a moderately priced be questionable in terms of safety for biking career development. Both of us have had a supervised the work experience programs. rooming-house setting because children are women, thereby necessitating extra funds life-long commitment to the value of higher He also helped to establish the graduate likely to disrupt other inhabitants. And the for a rental car or public transportation. education. With this gift we are enabling program at Brooks Institute, where he requirement for more space often includes, Children also require transportation to day- higher educators themselves to develop taught fledgling professional photographers in addition to room for children, room for care or school or summer camp. Finally, there insight through collaboration. It pleases me how to make a business of their art. an auxiliary childcare provider, whether is the cost of bringing children and possibly that we have found a way to help that is UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang said, nanny or relative. the nanny to Santa Barbara and back. deeply in keeping with our core values as “I am so impressed with Ann and Mike Another housing hurdle is seasonal. The Family Fund, in short, enables a couple.” Rice’s evident commitment to what higher Summer means school vacations, when the KITP to adapt its mission as a retreat With a BA degree from the former education can do to better people’s lives. physicists and their school-age children facility for the advancement of scientific Georgia State College for Women (GSCW), Thank you, Dr. Rice, for your generosity don’t have classes. But summer also means research to the challenges of modern Ann Smith began teaching high school to UCSB and the KITP. UCSB is fortunate higher prices for rentals in what is arguably parenting and two-career families. home economics when she was 19 years old. in our long relationship, beginning when one of America’s most attractive vacation All the while teaching at the institutions she you taught home economics in 1964 and destinations. The Family Fund can be used attended, she went on to complete a 1951 extending to your graciously endowing this to offset this seasonal cost differential. MS degree from the University of Georgia fund that will benefit physicists who are and a PhD from Florida State University in also parents visiting the KITP.” Care and Education economics, sociology and personal finance. Gross said, “We are very grateful to Then there is the formidable challenge of The latter degree was conferred in 1964, have the means to level a little the playing finding and paying for reputable and reliable the year that she joined the UCSB home field between men and women theoretical child-care and schooling away from home. economics faculty as a teacher of family physicists who are parenting young

7 Vol. 4, No. 1 • Spring / Summer 2008

Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics NonProfit Org. UC Santa Barbara U.S. Postage PAID Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4030 Santa Barbara CALIFORNIA Permit No. 104

Science at the edge of discovery

Ongoing & Upcoming For Physicists… For Friends of KITP… PROGRAMS Fundamental Aspects of Population Genomics: Implications SEE WEB SITE: Superstring Theory for Demography and Natural www.kitp.ucsb.edu/community/friends_upcoming_events.php Physics of Climate Change Jan. 5 - May 29, 2009 Selection April 28 - July 11, 2008 Melanie Becker, Nathan Berkovits, Joe Oct. 16 - 17, 2008 Jean Carlson, Gregory Falkovich, John Polchinski Martin Kreitman, Lluis Quintana-Murci, Harte, Brad Marston, Ray Pierrehumbert Massimo Vergassola Formation and Evolution of Dynamo Theory Globular Clusters Population Genomics of May 5 - July 18, 2008 Jan. 12 - April 10, 2009 Human Disease Chris Jones, Daniel Lathrop, Steven Tobias, Fred Rasio, Alison Sills, Enrico Vesperini, Dec. 3 - 5, 2008 Ellen Zweibel Steve Zepf Martin Kreitman, Lluis Quintana-Murci, Massimo Vergassola Boundary Layers in the Earth: Low Dimensional Electron Systems A Multi-disciplinary View Jan. 20 - June 12, 2009 Formation and Evolution of June 22 - Aug. 8, 2008 Herb Fertig, Donna Sheng, Kun Yang Globular Clusters Adam Dziewonski, Stan Hart, Louise Jan. 12 - 16, 2009 Kellogg, Michael Manga, Barbara Quantum Control of Light and Fred Rasio, Alison Sills, Enrico Vesperini, Romanowicz Matter Steve Zepf April 20 - July 17, 2009 Gauge Theory and Langlands Misha Ivanov, Navin Khaneja, David New Directions in Low-Dimensional Duality (Miniprogram) Tannor Electron Systems July 21 - Aug. 8, 2008 Feb. 23 - 27, 2009 Edward Frenkel, Sergei Gukov, David Herb Fertig, Donna Sheng, Ziqiang Wang, Morrison CONFERENCES Kun Yang Charmien Carrier Full House. Neuroscientist Sam Wang signs a copy of Welcome to Your The Theory and Practice of Anticipating Physics at the LHC Concepts and Methods in Quantum Brain for Dilling Yang with Alan Heeger (l) and his wife Ruth next in line. Fluctuation-Induced Interactions June 2 - 6, 2008 Control: Theory and Experiment UCSB physicist Heeger won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Dilling’s Aug. 18 - Nov. 21, 2008 Csaba Csaki, Tao Han, JoAnne Hewett, May 18 - 22, 2009 husband, UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang, also attended the KITP public Thorsten Emig, Mehran Kardar, Adrian James Wells Gustav Gerber, Misha Ivanov, Navin lecture Wang gave. (See article on KITP brain design workshop, p. 3.) At Parsegian, Roya Zandi Khaneja such overflow events, first preference for seating goes to Friends of KITP. Magnetic Field Generation in Building the Milky Way Experiments, Geophysics and For information about events and membership, contact Sept. 15 - Dec. 12, 2008 Astrophysics Charmien Carrier at (805) 893-6349 or [email protected]. Andrew Benson, Juna Kollmeier, Matthias July 14 - 18, 2008 For other Friends queries, contact Sarah Vaughan, Steinmetz Chris Jones, Daniel Lathrop, Steven Tobias, Director of Development and Community Relations, at (805) 893-7313. Ellen Zweibel Population Genetics and Genomics Sept. 15 - Dec. 12, 2008 Back to the Galaxy II KITP Director’s Council Martin Kreitman, Lluis Quintana-Murci, Sept. 29 - Oct. 3, 2008 The Director’s Council is made up of leaders in fields other than physics, but with an interest in Massimo Vergassola Andrew Benson, Juna Kollmeier, Matthias physics, who meet several times a year to provide the KITP leadership with invaluable support and Steinmetz advice. Chaired by John Mackall, the Council also includes Joe Alibrandi, David L. Brown, Virginia Castagnola-Hunter, K.C. Cole, Michael Ditmore, Fred Gluck, Gus Gurley, James Knight, Stuart Mabon, Simon Raab, David Wenner, and Derek Westen. For details of programs go to our website: http://www.kitp.ucsb.edu/activities/ For member profiles go to: http://www.kitp.ucsb.edu/community/director.html.