Lessons of Alvarez and Yemen

In June 1993 as I was heading back home to Yemen after some nine years of study and work at the US, a great man and a world class scientist by the name of George Kalbfleisch gave me a rather special and great gift. George was my PhD advisor at the University of Oklahoma Department of Physics and Astronomy. His gift was a book titled: “Discovering Alvarez”, edited by W. Peter Trower, published by the University of Chicago Press in 1987. On the first page of that book, George wrote to me three lessons he learned from Luis W. Alvarez, his PhD advisor at Berkeley, CA and the 1968 Nobel Prize winner in Physics. George also wrote:  Share this with your students and pass on the “TORCH”.

The reason I am bringing this up is that in recent days as I have been revisiting my books and papers I came across George’s gift containing “Alvarez’s Lessons”. This is at a time in which Yemen has been at the forefront of western media brought by the attempted terror action of Omar Farouq Abdullmuttaleb. In recent articles much attention has been given to Education in Yemen, particularly with an emphasis on Math, Science and Engineering. One month ago, I proposed that donor countries, particularly the US, provide hundreds of graduate scholarships to Yemeni nationals annually (see yobserver.com, Feb 16, 2010). The goal would be to create a “critical mass” of Scientists and Engineers in Yemen’s Education system and in Government. This should help transform the mental fabric of our society towards scientific thinking as well as help decision makers in Government do the right thing caring for the well being of Yemeni people.

As I read “Alvarez’s Lessons” transmitted to me through George, I realized today, after some 17 years, that I have been true to them and have passed them at least partially to some of my students. This is one of the most significant proofs testifying to the validity of the argument made earlier regarding the urgent need for producing a Yemeni “critical mass” of Scientists and Engineers in western institution of higher education. From Alvarez to Kalbfleisch to me to my students, human knowledge transmission and creation has been taking place. Such process is a “Key” for progress. “Alvarez’s Lessons” are about scientific truth and Yemen is today gravely in need for scientific truth, not “ideology” nor “tribalism”.

Both Luis W. Alvarez and George Kalbfleisch have passed away but their “TORCH” is still alive here in Yemen and in many places around the globe. No doubt that the “TORCH” will continue to be part of the lightening guide for humanity at large but the question is: will it be in Yemen?

Moustafa Bahran
Professor of Physics
Ex-Minister of Electricity and Energy - Sana’a, March 16th 2010

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