【转帖】竖起一杆大旗，开创一个领域的人

After graduation, it was extremely difficult to find a job, particularly in New York. He finally landed one as a chemist in a small factory that was trying to use cheap molasses as the raw material for making caramel coloring. The chief problem was that the caramelized molasses looked like mud and had a repulsive taste. Martin applied the full extent of his knowledge at the time, which was to change the pH. The mess miraculously became a clear ruby-red, and the taste was transformed to one that was bland, even pleasant. His salary was raised to twenty-one dollars a week, but he left after a year to take a civil-service position in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the Metallurgical Laboratory. There he carried out radiological examinations of huge castings, such as the turrets for the 16” guns that would be mounted on battleships.

When war was declared, Martin declined deferment, and in June of 1942, was inducted into the Armed Forces, where he served in the Air Force in the Pacific Theater. He became an officer, and probably gave the first literate lecture on the atomic bomb to the enlisted men in the Pacific Theater.

He was discharged from the service in May, 1946, and was married that June to Lillie Bellin, who was then a teacher. He reports that this was undoubtedly the most brilliant decision he ever made. Lillie became his confidante, adviser, and cheering section. She cleared the way for him to pursue science and to enjoy the regenerative experiences of life, such as children, art, music and the great outdoors. He also took a position as a Research Scientist in the Balco Research Laboratory in Newark, N.J. This was a small laboratory, supported by government contracts, doing pioneering work in the development of thin films for optical and electronic applications.

In 1947, he left Balco for graduate training at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute.. His thesis dealt with the diffusion of neutral molecules in ion-exchange resins. In the next few years, his first child, Miriam, was born, and she brightened the otherwise trying period of taking preliminary examinations. At the time, the family was living on a research stipend of $2400 per year. Finally, in December, 1950, he finished his thesis.

He returned to a good position at the Balco Research Laboratory where he remained until 1956. During that period his second daughter Deborah was born and she brought much joy. At Balco, he became Technical Director. His work dealt with the development of zero-temperature coefficient resistive metal films produced by the pyrolysis of metalloorganic compounds of noble metals. He had several patents, and probably was the first to use a laser to adjust the precise value of metal film resistors.

Having had his fill of the technological aspects of science, Martin left Balco in 1956 to return to more basics scientific studies. Suffering a rather large reduction in income, he accepted a research position at New York University in the Radiation and Solid State Physics Laboratory which was then under the direction of Professor Hartmut Kallmann of the Physics Department…..

With a preference for working with materials whose composition and structure could be easily reproduced,….Martin has played a major role in an international community that has sought a better understanding of such seemingly diverse processes as photosynthesis, electrophotography, photosensitization, and conductivity.

In 1960 Martin was appointed to the position of Research Associate Professor in the Physics Department; in 1965 he became Associate Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Chemistry in 1969. At the end of 1982 he became the Director of the Laboratory. During these years…..the Radiation and Solid State Laboratory was supported by major grants from the Department of Energy and all of its antecedent agencies.

Martin Pope’s major extracurricular activity through the years, as is well known by his friends and colleagues, is amateur mineralogy, which guides his outdoor ventures as he searches for specimens; needless to say, his favorites are crystals. In addition, he directs the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, set up by his childhood friend to encourage creativity in the arts……

Although…holding the position of Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Martin is still active in research. He continues to carry on active collaboration with colleagues both within this University and at other institutions…..

This short account of Martin Pope’s life would not be complete without mention of some of his unusual qualities as a human being. Many of us have had unforgettable experiences witnessing the birth of new ideas or of reaching solutions to difficult scientific problems in Martin’s office; on such occasions, the level of excitement reached peak levels of intensity and the radiant glow on Martin’s face infected even the dourest of graduate students and colleagues with great enthusiasm.

Martin’s intuitive insight into nature lies at the root of his many original scientific contributions. His unusually perceptive pictorial view of mechanisms and characteristics and properties of organic solids were often ahead of their time, but served as inspiration to many colleagues and graduate students, who later proved either experimentally or theoretically the validity of his ideas..

Martin never shrank from long-range investments of time and effort into difficult, but daring and important experiments; somehow, most of them paid off handsomely.

Another unusual aspect of Martin’s character is his deep and caring interest in the personal welfare of his friends and colleagues; some of us have benefited numerous times from the wise counsel and advice hatched in the Pope household in the hour of need. Martin’s compassion extends to all underprivileged segments of our society and poor and oppressed people throughout the world. Frequently, scientific discussions digress into the realm of the human condition and into analyses of the political situations both here and abroad.
Martin is now in his fiftieth year at New York University. He is still doing research and publishing important papers.

牛人，中国就缺这样的人啊。