Meetings are held at the Princeton Jewish Center, 435 Nassau St. in Princeton. All meetings start at 10 AM unless otherwise noted.
Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, How Stalin Got His Bomb: Information and the End the American Atomic Monopoly
As is by now well known, the Soviet Union detonated its first atomic device in 1949, years before experts in the United States expected them to (common estimates ranged from 1951 to 1953, at the very earliest). This was only four years after the Americans had developed and used their own atomic bombs, and stood at the time as a shocking testament to the talents of Soviet scientists and the power of the Stalinist state to organize large-scale technological projects. Of course, as is also well known, some of the information that went into the construction of that device came from espionage from the British and American nuclear projects.
This talk looks at the Soviet atomic bomb project from the inside: how the Soviets assembled the necessary information and material to construct the bomb, evaluated the quality of that information and material, assembled it, and then detonated it in the deserts of Kazakhstan on August 29, 1949. For all the attention given to espionage in the Western (and post-Soviet Russian) press, I argue that those spy materials need to be put in context to see *how* they were used, placed in this way along domestic sources of nuclear knowledge, foreign specialists from Germany, and -- especially -- open source, unclassified information they obtained from American sources without the need for cloaks and daggers.
Prof. Michael Gordin specializes in the history of the modern physical sciences and Imperial Russian and Soviet history, and his research concentrates on the intersection of these two areas. He came to Princeton in 2003 after earning his A.B. (1996) and his Ph.D. (2001) from Harvard, and serving a term at the Harvard Society of Fellows. He has published articles on a variety of topics, such as the introduction of science into Russia in the early 18th century, the history of biological warfare in the late Soviet period, the relations between Russian literature and science, as well as a series of studies on the life and chemistry of Dmitrii I. Mendeleev, formulator of the periodic system of chemical elements. His first book is a cultural history of Mendeleev in the context of Imperial St. Petersburg, A Well-Ordered Thing: Dmitrii Mendeleev and the Shadow of the Periodic Table (2004). He is also the author of Five Days in August: How World War II Became a Nuclear War (2007), a history of the atomic bombings of Japan during World War II, and the editor, with Peter Galison and David Kaiser, of the four-volume Routledge History of the Modern Physical Department/Program(s):History of Science
Thursday, January 15, 2009 55PLUS Computer Club - The State of Web 2.0: Ideas, Services, Sites, and Applications
In this talk on Web 2.0 technologies services, and concepts, John LeMasney, Manager of Technology Training at Rider University, will introduce and discuss this relatively new way of interacting with the internet in which instead of being passive members of the internet audience we become active contributors, editors, and producers of the content available on a site. His talk will range from Flickr to YouTube, from Scribd to Google Reader, and from delicious.com to the latest iteration of the New York Times web site, and lots of other places. He'll discuss what's different and what's better about this new version of the web, how you can use it to get even more out of the internet, and the ways in which you are already benefiting from Web 2.0 technologies.
John is also the Instructional Technology Coordinator for the Center for Innovative Instruction at Rider, the dissemination arm of the Teaching and Learning Center. John completed his BFA in Sculpture at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and enjoys the creative aspects of any project he is involved in. John has recently achieved his LPI Level One Certification for Linux Administration, and was the inaugural Chief Marketing Officer for the Linux User's Group in Princeton (LUG/IP).
Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009 How the primate brain controls movement
How does the primate brain control movement? The motor cortex was first discovered in 1870 and has been intensively studied since, especially in monkeys. The activity of neurons in the motor cortex causes movement. The organization of the motor cortex, however, is so complex that no clear picture emerged until recently. An increasingly accepted view is that different locations in the motor cortex specialize in different parts of the complex, varied movement repertoire. For example, one region of motor cortex may specialize in the task of bringing the hand to the mouth and opening the mouth. Another region of motor cortex may specialize in reaching out with the hand to grasp.
Michael Graziano, Associate Professor,Department of Psychology, Princeton University, has been associated with the University since 1985, when he entered undergraduate school there. He received both his B.A. and Ph.D from Princeton, was a member of the research staff and reached professorial rank in 2001, becoming an Associate Professor in 2007. He is the recipient of several grants in the past year and has delivered numerous invited lectures both in the United States and in Europe. His talks, books and numerous papers deal primarily with the Cortex and how the brain controls the movement of the body.
Prof. Graziano has also recently published a novel, The Love Songs of Monkey, Leapfrog Press, inspired by the lines from T.S. Elliot's, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.
Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009 11:30am Semi-Annual Honcho Meeting
At this meeting, which will be held in the Library of the Jewish Center, you are invited to suggest new speakers and topics for the balance of this year and the begining of next. Everyone who normally attends 55PLUS meetings is invited to attend and participate.
Thursday Feb. 5, 2009 " Rebel with a Cause" Design as a balance between environmental and social needs
From modest beginnings as a sole practitioner in Princeton, Robert Hillier built his practice on client-focused service and design excellence. He is one of the rare architects who understands the world of business as well as the world of design and he has used these paired foundations to build one of the largest architectural firms in the country. In recognition of his achievements,Bob was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by INC. Magazine.
His personal interest in economics and commercial enterprise has made him the leader in the design of corporate campuses. Many of these projects have earned critical acclaim for design and increased client success. Bob has also developed over 150 residential units in Princeton, N.J. Bob Hillier is committed to education and has been a mentor to many throughout his career. In 1970, he created the annual Architectural Career Day, a program where high school students talk to architects and learn about careers in building design.
Last year Hillier’s company was re-christened RMJM Hillier, after merging with RMJM, a British firm which maintains 17 offices worldwide and is the world’s largest strictly architectural firm with over 1000 employees. Hillier is a Fellow of the AIA and an adjunct professor at the Princeton University School of Architecture, his alma mater. He sits on the Advisory Board of Architectural Graphic Standards, 11th Edition. Bob is also a trustee at The Peddie School and The Milton Hershey School
Thursday Feb. 19, 2009 To Be announced