Lebowitz, Joel Louis, 1930-
Oral history interview with Joel Lebowitz, 2021 June 8.
Interview with Joel L. Lebowitz, the George William Hill professor of mathematics and physics at Rutgers University and Director of the Center for Mathematical Sciences Research at Rutgers. The interview begins with a brief discussion of how Lebowitz defines mathematical physics, his current interest in statistical mechanics, and his involvement in the Committee of Concerned Scientists. Lebowitz then looks back at his childhood in former Czechoslovakia, now Ukraine, where Yiddish was his first language. He recounts his memories of state-imposed anti-Semitism and his deportation to Auschwitz. Upon being liberated from the camp, Lebowitz describes his journey to the US where he studied math and theoretical physics at Brooklyn College. He talks about his graduate studies at Syracuse University with Peter Bergmann, as well as his post-doctoral position at Yale University with Lars Onsager. Lebowitz recalls his work on topics such as Coulomb forces, the thermodynamic limit, Ising spins, stochastic dynamics and more. He discusses his affiliation with the New York Academy of Sciences, of which he eventually became President, as well as his involvement in human rights issues related to the Refusenik scientists. The interview concludes with Lebowitzs reflections on the connections between science and morality.
Czech (now Ukrainian) mathematical physicist. Ph.D., Syracuse University (1956). Professional experience includes: from researcher to faculty, Yale University (1956-1957); assistant professor of physics, Stevens Institute of Technology (1957-1959); Belfer Graduate School of Science of Yeshiva University (1957-1977); faculty, George William Hill professor, Rutgers University (1977-).
Bergmann, Peter Gabriel
Finkelstein, David Ritz, 1929-
Lebowitz, Joel Louis, 1930-
Lieb, Elliott H.
Onsager, Lars, 1903-1976
Phillips, Melba, 1907-2004
Ruelle, David
Sakharov, Andre , 1921-1989
Susskind, Leonard
Committee of Concerned Scientists
Los Alamos National Laboratory
New York Academy of Sciences
Rutgers University
Stevens Institute of Technology
Syracuse University -- Faculty.
Yale University
Yeshiva University.
Coulomb excitation
Ising model.
Mathematical physics
Monte Carlo method
Phase transformations (Statistical physics)
Probability theory.
Schrd̲inger equation.
Statistical mechanics
Stochastic processes.
Interviews. aat
Oral histories. aat
Transcripts. aat
Zierler, David, 1979-, interviewer.
AIP-ICOS
American Institute of Physics. Niels Bohr Library & Archives. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA