NSBE - March/April 2009 - (Page 11)

“I am still motivated to complete the project, out of sheer curiosity and the science of seeing it work.” — Ronald L. Mallett, Ph.D., University of Connecticut story gave him an idea that has been his passion for more than 50 years. He would build a time machine, so he could go back in time and save his father’s life. But he kept his plan secret. He tried to make the machine pictured in the comic book, spending hours in his basement. When it didn’t work, he read the original book, with a dictionary at his side. Then, about two years after his father’s death, he spotted a paperback book cover that had a picture of Albert Einstein standing next to a huge hourglass. He read that Einstein’s breakthrough was to treat time as a fourth dimension. Young Ron was hooked. He realized he’d have to return to school so he could understand math, physics and Einstein’s theories. did a segment on him in 2007. Two of Spike Lee’s graduate students heard it and told the film director about the physicist. Lee read Dr. Mallett’s memoir, “Time Traveler: A Scientist’s Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality.” The two met, and Lee decided to make a movie about Dr. Mallett’s life. The screenplay is being written. In the meantime, Dr. Mallett is working with a colleague at the University of Connecticut, experimental physicist Chandra Roychoudhuri, to create a machine that tests his CoNtiNuEd oN pagE 12 eurekA MoMent Today, Ronald L. Mallett, Ph.D. is a theoretical physicist and full professor at the University of Connecticut. He was NSBE chapter advisor there from 1978 to 1982. Through the many challenges, twists and turns of his life — watching his mother struggle to provide for her family; dealing with a stepfather who didn’t value education; facing racism; a career in the Air Force; divorce; remarriage — he never stopped seeking a formula for time travel. And incredibly, one day in 1999, while studying gravity, Einstein’s theory of relativity and the work of other noted physicists, Dr. Mallett had his “Eureka!” moment. He concluded that a circulating light cylinder can penetrate space and twist time, the way a spoon stirred in coffee can create a swirl in the center. Then, just as a coffee bean would swirl around as the spoon stirred the coffee, a subatomic particle, a neutron, could travel through this space. In 2000, Dr. Mallett published a paper outlining his theory. In 2001, he presented the theory at a physics department colloquium at the University of Michigan. New Science magazine ran a cover story on it later that year. He got calls and e-mails from all over the world. The spotlight shined on. National Public Radio’s “This American Life” www.nsbe.org UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE Examine the Possibilities Work in a place where your engineering and science skills help keep American ingenuity on the cutting edge. Every day at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, our Patent Examiners witness groundbreaking scientific and technological progress, while playing a major role in granting exclusive rights to inventors. Patent Examiners • Review patent applications for compliance with all laws and regulations • Use specialized knowledge and technical research to evaluate claimed inventions • Meet established quality/performance goals Engineers with experience in Bandwidth sharing, Switching & Routing in Telecommunication Networks highly desired. To qualify, you need at least a BS degree in engineering or science, technical competence in the area in which you are hired, and strong oral and written communication skills. Qualified candidates may be eligible for a recruitment incentive of up to $9,900 per year for a maximum of four years. A service agreement will be required. Our excellent benefits package includes enhanced federal salary rates, flextime schedules, health coverage, vacation and sick leave, law school tuition reimbursement and more. Learn more about how your engineering and science skills can place you at the center of new and exciting innovations. Visit our careers website: www.USPTOcareers.gov www.USPTOcareers.gov Equal Opportunity Employer. U.S. Citizenship Required. • march/april 2009 • 11 http://www.USPTOcareers.gov http://www.USPTOcareers.gov http://www.USPTOcareers.gov http://www.nsbe.org

NSBE - March/April 2009

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