JIŘÍ JANATA Dr. CHEMFET ICT Prague Press, 2010 *A_Janata.indd 1 9/29/10 8:52 PM OSOBNOSTI ČESKÉ VĚDY PERSONALITIES IN CZECH SCIENCE This book has been published with the support of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic *A_Janata.indd 2 9/29/10 8:52 PM JIŘÍ JANATA Dr. CHEMFET ICT Prague Press, 2010 *A_Janata.indd 1 9/29/10 8:52 PM Edited by: Eva Dibuszová and Eva Juláková First published in Czech and English, 2010 Published by the Institute of Chemical Tecnology, Prague, ICT Prague Press Technická 5 166 28 Praha 6 Czech Republic Printed in the Czech Republic ISBN 978-80-7080-762-0 (Czech) 978-80-7080-763-7 (English) Copyright © Jiří Janata, 2010 Cover Design © Dana Husníková, 2010 Typo Design © ICT Prague Press, 2010 *A_Janata.indd 2 9/29/10 8:52 PM Dr. CHEMFET PREFACE Writing memoirs is a preferred hobby of old people. was to give an account of the scope of radioactive con- I myself admit that the temptation is there, but so far tamination at Hanford, and he opened his lecture with I have refrained, since the project is treacherous. How a slide that was supposed to convey, how a partial view frank should one be? How many skeletons are there to may mislead the viewer, as to the meaning of the entire be disclosed? Will the reader be entertained, offended, picture. He chose a cartoon that I saw for the first time scandalized – or even worse – bored? The task is even as a schoolboy in Prague. It is an image of a keyhole, more complicated, if one is supposed to write about through which one may imagine seeing a nude female a friend, since one risks of loosing him by being too torso. It was not that, of course. Jirka made his point and frank, or insulting him by being too laudatory. went on. The next day I was called by the Chair who had I did not realized that I am falling into a trap, when convened a meeting of prominent faculty members, Jirka asked me to write this piece. I guess, that mischief and with a Sexual Harassment Officer delegated by the is part of his otherwise generous and compassionate Dean’s office. I was interrogated as to how I could pos- nature. He has exercised his peculiar sense of humor sibly invite such a dubious character, who would show more than once. When he lived in Salt Lake City, his fa- offending body parts in a seminar attended by sensi- vorite ski trek was to the rim of Peruvian Ridge, where tive females? A letter of apology was drafted, to seminar he sometimes took his unsuspecting visitors. From that participants, which I refused to endorse. Fortunately the point was no way back, except straight into the jaws lady in charge of Harassment Department was a sensi- of the mountain. We all know that Jirka loves classical ble person, and when I produced the second page of music (and despises opera). When we visited him in Salt Jirkas slide, showing a head of a sad looking cow, the Lake City, he generously gave us tickets to a perform- whole affair collapsed. For years Jirka entertained his ance of the local Symphony. The piece was so modern audience, by recounting this story, and rightly so. For (advanced?) that we decided to escape after the first us who grew up in Nazism and Communism, freedom movement. Unfortunately, we found that the exit door of expression is a cherished privilege, and any type of was locked. censorship is the step in wrong direction. A less innocent episode is the infamous cow story. It is generous of Jirka to share his memories and live This happened when I invited Jirka to give a seminar at experience. We learn about his values, his earnest and Department of Chemistry University of Washington. He inquisitive way of performing research, and his paternal | 5 | *A_Janata.indd 5 9/29/10 8:52 PM JIŘÍ JANATA concern for his students and coworkers. Not enough colleagues fall for this, but I doubt that “fly until you is said in his memoir about his generosity of spirit and drop” is a route to a happy end. I recommend red wine material support to many of us. We can never fully ap- and watercolor painting. In my experience this is a good preciate, from his account, Jirka’s devotion and love for balance between being frustrated and calmed down. his family. I am thankful to Jirka, for sharing his life with us. When we read his closing words, we may become I learned things about him, I did not know, although concerned about his looming retirement. Does he have I had the privilege to be his friend. enough hobbies? Will his new knees last for many years of tennis and skiing? (We do not worry about dancing – Aloha he despises dance more than opera singing.) Will he re- turn to kayaking? I hope not, since he narrowly escaped Jarda Ruzicka drowning more than once. What about whirling around Honolulu, August 2010 the world on endless lecture tours? Many of our retired | 6 | *A_Janata.indd 6 9/29/10 8:52 PM Dr. CHEMFET JIŘÍ JANATA WAS BORN IN PODĚBRADY ON 12 JULY 1939 FINISHED THE HIGH SCHOOL IN KOLÍN IN 1956 AFTER GRADUATION FROM THE FACULTY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF THE CHARLES UNIVERSITY WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AS A POSTDOC IN 1968 MOVED WITH ENTIRE FAMILY TO THE UK WHERE HE WAS EMPLOYED AS RE- SEARCH SCIENTIST AT IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES, LTD. IN 1976 BECAME A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH AND STARTED HIS WORK IN CHEMICALLY SENSITIVE FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTORS (CHEMFET) IN 1991 MOVED TO RICHLAND, WASHINGTON AS ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY FROM 1997 TEACHES AT THE GEORGIA INSTITUTE IF TECHNOLOGY IN ATLANTA | 7 | *A_Janata.indd 7 9/29/10 8:52 PM *A_Janata.indd 8 9/29/10 8:52 PM Dr. CHEMFET OUVERTURE When I was asked to give a one hour opening lecture mental that they stay with you forever. So, I have con- at the symposium organized by my former students at vinced myself that preparing that lecture has been The Electrochemical Society Meeting in San Francisco, a worthwhile investment of time. But giving a lecture in May 2009, I was horrified. What would I talk about for like that is a one-time event and so when I was asked one hour? But I could not let them down. So, I reluctant- to transcribe it, I accepted the invitation. Perhaps the ly agreed and started forming a plan, during sleepless reader will believe me that this is only a written record hours of many nights. Slowly the idea started to gel and of that lecture and nothing more than that. became clearer and less repulsive. At the end I accepted it as an opportunity to take an inventory of my life up to this moment. It is not such a bad idea to do this from time to time, because one never knows if there is going to be another day. In the course of some 45 years of my professional ca- reer I have changed jobs often and at every station there were some kind and interesting people, something un- expected happened and there was always something new to learn. So I have organized my lecture around the periods of those stations and I highlighted what I have done and what I have learned at that stage. In exercise like this there is an ever present danger of succumbing to narcissism. I tried to avoid it as much as I could but at the end I cannot tell if I have succeeded or not. However, it forced me to look back at those seventy years and recollect things that I would have probably forgot. What has emerged from that exercise has been the realization of continuity of knowledge and growth of experience. Perhaps this is one consolation of growing old. I can say for certain that there are things that are so funda- | 9 | *A_Janata.indd 9 9/29/10 8:52 PM JIŘÍ JANATA FORMATIVE YEARS I was born in Poděbrady, a middle class spa town, which its real purpose. Then there is a vague memory of our was spared of the ravishes of the Second World War. My Jewish neighbors, who suddenly disappeared, never to memories of that time are somewhat foggy: The allied be seen again. They were soon replaced by a German planes flying high on their way to bomb Kolín or Pardu- family that died in the hail of bullets at the end of the bice, further to the East and dropping aluminum confetti war. I vaguely remember the arrest of my father by the as the flak decoy. It was a very welcome gift because we Gestapo and more clearly his emotional return at the used it as Christmas tree decoration, not understanding beginning of May 1945. I observed but did not under- JIŘÍ Z PODĚBRAD AND ME WITH A “PACIFIER” | 10 | *A_Janata.indd 10 9/29/10 8:52 PM Dr. CHEMFET stand all that was happening. However, I still remember It the Kolín Gymnasium I was lucky to have a wonder- my first German sentence that my parents taught me: ful assembly of teachers. Two in particular have had the “Hitler ist gut”. strong influence on me. František Stejskal, professor of My parents named me “Jiří”, as many parents in chemistry, and professor Antonin Suchánek who taught Poděbrady named their boys.