Acknowledging and Preserving Albert Einstein’s Legacy

Ron White the 2 time National Memory Champion Acknowledging and Preserving Albert Einstein’s Legacy

I have been fascinated by Albert Einstein and his extraordinary life, mind and views most of my life – so much so that I created a program about him entitled ‘How to Develop The Mind of Einstein’.

On March 13,2005 the American Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU) celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the publishing of three of Einstein’s most notable works, including the Theory of Relativity (E=mc2), with a conference on his formidable legacy, and his impact on our lives.

The keynote speaker for the conference was Nobel Prize winner Professor David J. Gross, a graduate of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Professor Gross joined his colleagues: co-winner of the Noble Prize, Dr. Harold E. Varmus; Professor (and President Emeritus) Hanoch Gutfreund; Professor Tsvi Piran from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Edward Wright, Professor and Vice Chair of the Astronomy Department at UCLA; and Professors Terrence Sejnowski and Ronald M. Evans of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the discussion. These notable scientists interacted with scholars and laymen interested in showing how Einstein influenced science and medicine in the 20^th century, and changed the shape of the world.

The luncheon after the conference carried on the discussion of ‘How Physics has Influenced Biology and Medicine’.

Hebrew University of Jerusalem is Israel’s oldest university. Founded in 1918. Its first Board of Governors consisted of Einstein, Sigmund Freud, philosopher Martin Buber, and Chaim Weizmann, president of the Zionist Organization and the first president of the State of Israel.

As one of the founding fathers of Hebrew University, Einstein’s legacy lives on there through his bequest of all his intellectual property, including his library and personal papers. Today more tha 80,000 of Einstein’s items are displayed in the Albert Einstein Archives at the Jewish National and University Library, so holding of the conference there held great significance.

“We are proud to mark his contribution to one of Israel's leading institutions of higher learning,” says Dr. Bill Isacoff, conference chairman. “The conference brought together some of the greatest minds in science and medicine to explore his enormous impact on the world and capture the essence of the man whom Time Magazine called, Man of the Century.”

On March 14, 2011 Hebrew University of Jerusalem marked the 132^nd anniversary of Einstein’s birth (which coincided with Israel’s National Science Day) with an announcement that they have received a $500,000 grant from the Polonsky Foundation of London to digitalize and preserve its Albert Einstein archives and make then available to online to researchers and students around the world.

“It is the most important collection of his papers and an important collection for 20th century history,” said Roni Grosz, Hebrew University’s director of the Albert Einstein Archive.

The digitalization of Einstein documents is expected to take about a year. After that, the work will be made available for public viewing on the Albert Einstein Archive website.

The works of Albert Einstein need to live on, and with the preservation and availability of his thoughts and through processes everyone has the opportunity to see into the thought process of this remarkable man.

If you would like to explore the teachings and mindset of Albert Einstein, check out my program on ‘How to Develop The Mind of Einstein’.

Resources:

AFHU (American Friends of the Hebrew University) website: www.afhu.org

Albert Einstein Archive to be Digitized By Hebrew University of Jerusalem:http://www.afhu.org/files/HUArticles/Albert%20Einstein%20Archive%20to%20be%20Digitized%20By%20Hebrew%20University%20of%20Jerusalem.pdf