Episode 37 - Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Dan Shechtman and the Discovery that Changed His Life

Two Nice Jewish Boys

Eytan and Naor

Society & Culture

1.7 • 804 Ratings

🗓️ 10 May 2017

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Progress entails change. However, the establishment generally rejects change. This is the challenge that pioneers face in all fields and this was the challenge that Professor Dan Shechtman faced upon his discovery of quasiperiodic crystals, or quasicrystals. Ultimately, this discovery would lead Dr. Shechtman to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2011 but not before a long and often arduous journey. Professor Dan Shechtman was kind enough to invite 2NJB to his home to talk about his life, his career and of course, the Nobel Prize.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Live from Tel Aviv, two nice Jewish boys.
0:05.0	Hi, I'm Aiton Weinstein, and I'm Noor Minninger.
0:11.0	In 1982, a professor of chemistry was peering into his electron microscope
0:16.0	when he spotted something that he shouldn't have spotted,
0:19.0	at least according to the accepted notions of chemistry of that time.
0:22.6	Professor Dan Schechtmann was on his sabbatical year at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
0:29.6	What he saw that day was to become known as a quasi-periodic crystal, or quasi-crystal,
0:35.6	and it was to shake the foundations of the world of chemistry it prompted
0:39.2	the two-time Nobel winner Linus Pauling to say there are no quasi-crystals just quasi-scientists
0:46.1	calling into question Professor Schechtmann's credibility but this controversial discovery ultimately
0:52.0	ended with Professor Schechtmann being awarded the Nobel Prize
0:55.5	in chemistry in 2011. Professor Schechtmann is the Philip Tobias Professor of Materials Science at the
1:02.8	Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, an associate of the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory,
1:09.8	and Professor of Materials Science at Iowa State University.
1:14.9	This podcast is made in cooperation with the Jewish Journal, www.gewishjournal.com. Also in cooperation with
1:22.1	Secret Tel Aviv, Israel's largest online social network community in English. Just look for the group on Facebook or visit them at secrettelviv.com.
1:30.9	Subscribe to two nice Jewish boys on iTunes.
1:33.6	And if you like the podcast, don't forget to rate us.
1:36.7	And of course, we want to hear your feedback.
1:38.5	So let us know what you think in the comments or send us a message on Facebook.
1:43.6	Hello, Professor Shechlan. Thank you so much for being here with us.
1:47.2	Hi.
	...

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