steve woit
mikhail voloshin
advise Ph.D. students, and mentor postdoctoral researchers. Many of their students have gone on to distinguished careers in university, industry, and laboratory settings such as the University of California, Berkeley; Lockheed Martin; and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). In 2002, the Institute officially changed its name to the William I. Fine Theoretical Physics Institute to honor Fine for his critical role in the Institute’s creation. He died in 2002, and his wife, Bianca Conti-Fine, a University professor, succeeded him as cochair of the Institute’s oversight committee. “Physicists worldwide come here to study, conduct research and learn from faculty who are great players in theoretical physics,” Conti-Fine said. “By exploring fundamental questions at the forefront of theoretical physics, we’re investing in the future.” n BY SILVA YOUNG FOR MORE INFORMATION see www.ftpi.umn.edu
NOW (Below) The most important function of FTPI is to produce significant, exciting, and sound theoretical physics that will have an impact on physics as a whole. The Institute provides a meeting place for theorists from around the world. (left to right) Former postdocs, Durmus Demir, Maxim Pospelov, and Adam Ritz exchange and develop ideas.
mikhail voloshin
Nobel Laureate Lev Landau, one of the century’s most highly esteemed theoretical physicists. Vainshtein, Voloshin, and Shifman were awarded the J. J. Sakurai Prize by the American Physical Society, one of the highest honors a physicist can receive. Vainshtein also received the Pomeranchuk Prize, and Mikhail Shifman was recently honored with the Lilienfeld Prize. At least two of the members have laws of physics named after them. “These people are truly leaders in their fields,” said Allen Goldman, physics professor and current head of the University of Minnesota’s School of Physics and Astronomy. “In many cases, they define their fields.” Today, FTPI occupies offices on the top floor of the University’s physics building where the atmosphere continues to be decidedly international. Theorists often confer with one another in Russian, among other languages, and the manner in which they study physics and interact with their colleagues has a distinctly cosmopolitan flavor. The effect of their research is universally understood. Their work is laying the groundwork for cutting-edge developments in many new technologies such as medical imaging, computer-assisted surgery, emerging nanotechnology, computer miniaturization, more efficient power lines, and new cell phone technology. Their research is often the springboard for experiments conducted by other scientists. FTPI has a worldwide reach. The Institute has hosted more than 800 individual researchers, from institutions in more than 18 countries, for working visits of one day to six months. The Institute also averages nearly 50 speakers a year. In addition to passionate researchers, the scientists at FTPI are dedicated teachers and mentors. As University faculty, Institute members teach courses,
then (Left) Top minds in theoretical physics use complex formulas in their work. (Right) Marvin Marshak, former head of the School of Physics and Astronomy, recruited five theoretical physicists at the Fine Theoretical Physics Institute from the former Soviet Union. Pictured in this 1992 photo from left to right are Mikhail Shifman, Boris Shklovskii, Leonid Glazman, Marvin Marshak, Arkady Vainshtein, and Mikhail Voloshin.
spring/summer 2008 INVENTING TOMORROW 33