Nandor Balazs
Encyclopedia
Nandor Balazs Hungarian-American physicist
, external member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
(from 1995).
.
Nandor Balazs received a Master degree at the University of Budapest
(1948). Balazs left the communist Hungary
in 1949. He received a PhD
at the University of Amsterdam (1951).
, one year as assistant to Einstein at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton, and was Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Alabama
during the years 1953-56. In 1961 he went to the Stony Brook University
.
During his life, Prof. Balazs had close friendships and working collaborations
with Schroedinger, Paul Dirac
(Dirac's wife, Margit Wigner, was Hungarian), Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
, Eugene Wigner, and other major figures in 20th-century physics.
Professor Balazs maintained contacts in his native Hungary
and occasionally brought Hungarian
physicists to the US. In his collaborations with people in Budapest (notably Béla Lukács and Jozsef Zimányi), he dealt with relativistic heavy-ion collisions and thus provided
a connection between Stony Brook
(a home of RHIC theory) and Hungary.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, external member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
(from 1995).
Early life and education
Balazs attended to the Rácz private primary school and was a classmate of Janos KemenyJohn George Kemeny
John George Kemeny was a Hungarian American mathematician, computer scientist, and educator best known for co-developing the BASIC programming language in 1964 with Thomas E. Kurtz. Kemeny served as the 13th President of Dartmouth College from 1970 to 1981 and pioneered the use of computers in...
.
Nandor Balazs received a Master degree at the University of Budapest
University of Budapest
The Eötvös Loránd University or ELTE, founded in 1635, is the largest university in Hungary, located in Budapest.-History:The university was founded in 1635 in Nagyszombat by the archbishop and theologian Péter Pázmány. Leadership was given over to the Jesuits...
(1948). Balazs left the communist Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in 1949. He received a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the University of Amsterdam (1951).
Scientific career
After receiving his PhD Nandor spent two years as assistant to Schroedinger at the Dublin Institute for Advanced StudiesDublin Institute for Advanced Studies
The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies Dublin, Ireland was established in 1940 by the Taoiseach of the time, Éamon de Valera under the . The Institute consists of 3 schools: The , the and the . The directors of these schools are currently Professor Werner Nahm, Professor Luke Drury and...
, one year as assistant to Einstein at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton, and was Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
during the years 1953-56. In 1961 he went to the Stony Brook University
State University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
.
During his life, Prof. Balazs had close friendships and working collaborations
with Schroedinger, Paul Dirac
Paul Dirac
Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac, OM, FRS was an English theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to the early development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics...
(Dirac's wife, Margit Wigner, was Hungarian), Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, FRS ) was an Indian origin American astrophysicist who, with William A. Fowler, won the 1983 Nobel Prize for Physics for key discoveries that led to the currently accepted theory on the later evolutionary stages of massive stars...
, Eugene Wigner, and other major figures in 20th-century physics.
Professor Balazs maintained contacts in his native Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and occasionally brought Hungarian
physicists to the US. In his collaborations with people in Budapest (notably Béla Lukács and Jozsef Zimányi), he dealt with relativistic heavy-ion collisions and thus provided
a connection between Stony Brook
Stony Brook
Stony Brook, Stonybrook or Stoney Brook may refer to:In California* Farwell, California, once known as StonybrookIn Massachusetts* Stony Brook , a tributary of the Charles River in Boston...
(a home of RHIC theory) and Hungary.