Message from the Chair

While a genuine delight of life at a university is the invigorating stream of newly arrived, curious and enthusiastic people, a sad inevitability is the departure of sage and seasoned colleagues. We feel this acutely right now in physics with the retirements of Chris Lobb and Ellen Williams.

Lobb, who held leadership roles in both our Joint Quantum Institute and Quantum Materials Center, was a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher with the sublime skill of making physics not only understandable but joyful. In a single semester, his students submitted these sentiments: "Lobb was endlessly entertaining"; "The atmosphere of the class was so positive I almost never felt any want to not go"; "I often find myself laughing at his jokes and making sense of the notes I'm taking simultaneously"; "an amazing, excellent and spectacular teacher"; "best lectures that I have ever had"; "absolutely had a great time in Quantum and cannot wait for next semester!" There were many such effusive entries; another was brief (and blasphemous): "Chris might be God incarnate." His sense of humor (and expertise in dad jokes) was well known in and out of the classroom. He brought color and a sense of whimsy to what can be a dry profession.

During her 42 years at UMD, Williams was a famed physicist, an environmental advocate and a policy expert. While working in surface science, she established our Materials Research Science and Engineering Center and served as director until 2009. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her varied service to the department, college and campus included a term as chair of the University Senate and director of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC). Her service to the nation included roles on the NASA Science Committee and NASA Advisory Council; a term as director of ARPA-E; and as a continuing member and current director of JASON, a group of distinguished scientists that advise the government on science and technology. Following her retirement as Distinguished University Professor Emerita, Williams is now a research professor of physics and executive director of ESSIC's Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies (CISESS).

We thank Chris and Ellen for their great contributions and wish them all the best.

~Steve

Irving and Renee Milchberg Endowed Lecture
"Democracy, Autocracy and the Threat to Reason in the 21st Century"
Speaker: Congressman Jamie Raskin
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Save the Date for a screening and discussion of "The Faraway Nearby: A journey into space, time and the mystery of black holes" featuring the work of late UMD physicist Joseph Weber.
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