OCR Text |
Show 9 oylaiM Nobel winner visits campus by Ginn y Gale Nobel Prize recipient Dr. Ivar Giaever visited Westminster College Nov. 2 as of the Resident part Distinguished Program. Topics he lectured on included super conductor theory, the nature of science, scientific research in business, and genetic engineering and cancer. Giaever was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics on Oct. 23, 1973 at the age of 44 by the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences. His contribution was in the area of miniature electronics, and he shared the award with two other scientists. Their research explained how electrons tunnel through conductors to become superconductors of electricity, a phenomenon vital to television and computers. In 1960 he made his first major discovery in the field that led to his Nobel Prize. Tunneling is a direct consequence of the wave nature of material particles and was recognized very early in the development of quantum or wave mechanics. A particle such as an electron can pass into a region which classically would be forbidden to it, and, if the region is not infinitey thick, can pass or tunnel through it. 30-De- c. Dr. Ivar Giaever. Nobel Prize winner. If an election cannot pass through the region the resulting structure, called a junction, will be nonconducting. However, if the barrier is thin enough, the tunneling junction will become conducting. Giaever discovered that if one or both metals in such a junction are superconducting, the dependence of the current on the voltage across the junction becomes highly nonlinear, thus providing direct evidence for the existence of the energy gap in superconductors. The importance of this discovery was that it made it possible to measure the gap parameter with nothing much more than an ammeter and a voltmeter, according to the McGraw-Hil- l Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. The tunnel junction has become the single most valuable tool for the study of the superconducting state. . The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to the person who has made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics, according to the Nobel Foundation. The first award in physics was presented in 1901 to Wilhelm Rontgen for the discovery of Giaever presently works for General Electric ('orjX)rate Research and Development. He recently served on the National Research Council Committee for Biotechnology as Applied to Naval Needs. He is the author of 68 papers, has received 31 U.S. patents and several pending. Giaever has also been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Norwegian Academy ' of Sciences, the Norwegian Academy of Technology. the United States National Academy of Engineering, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Born in Norway. Giaever became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1964. In addition to his scientific endeavors, he enjoys skiing and running. He recently completed the New York Marathon in just over five hours. Funding for the Westminster College Distinguished Resident Program is provided by an anonymous donor. yyo C (A X-ra- Or Experience The Height Of Perfection Experience what Utah Holiday magazine rightiy called "the best hamburgers in Salt Lake City" Your choice of seventeen delicious, flame-broile- d Training Table hamburgers. Imagine the possibilities! For Fast (Holiday Cash r VISA Shaw Union, Telephone: (MoriwCardi 488-415- 2 OPEN FOR LUNCH AND DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK. TAKEOUT AVAILABLE. HOLLADAY DOWNTOWN SLC 4828 Highland 809 East 4th South (In 355-752- 3 the Creekslde Shopping Center) 272-739- . Dcc..l5. 1987.--T V ( 1 r - Issue. & . - .. MIDVALE Drive 6957 South State 566-191- GausaaoseisigiB 1 8 Forum 9 |