From edlipson@ace.npac.syr.edu Fri Nov 22 14:22:23 1996 Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 16:04:50 -0500 (EST) From: Edward Lipson To: davisr@spot.colorado.edu Cc: edlipson@syr.edu Subject: Gamow letter I can fax or Fedex or mail this after I return to Syracuse. Please advise which i should do. -Ed Department of Physics Syracuse University Syracuse, NY 13244-1130 November 19, 1996 Professor Robert H. Davis, Chair Department of Chemical Engineering Engineering Center, ECCH 1-43 Campus Box 424 University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309-0424 Re: R. Igor Gamow Dear Professor Davis: I am writing in support of the promotion of Igor Gamow to the rank of Professor. Like Igor, I have worked for many years on biophysical aspects of the growth responses of Phycomyces. Both of us received our postdoctoral training in this field in the group of the late Professor Max Delbrück at Caltech. Although Igor had returned to Boulder to take on his faculty position before I joined the group in 1971, we have had the opportunity to meet regularly over the years at conferences and on two visits that I paid him in Boulder. We have not been in touch in recent years; the last time I met Igor in person was, I believe, in the mid to late 1980s. For your information, I have diversified my own research effort to include practical work using the latest World Wi de Web technologies, specfically with applications in telemedicine and human computer interfaces for the severely disabled. I have attached a brief CV. Igor has played a significant role in several important problems in Phycomyces research. He has given major attention to the mechanical and structural basis of spiral growth and on the mechanism of the avoidance response. In earlier work, he also addresse d the problem of sensory adaptation of the light-growth response, and he discovered a subtle light response of the Phycomyces sporangiophore, namely the light-induced swelling response of the spherical sporangium. His greatest impact in this field has been in his work on spiral growth. By careful experiments with his Instron machine and with other techniques, he has shown the role of plasticity and elasticity in the fascinating spiral growth of the sporangiophore, both under steady-state conditions and during a light-growth response. He and his then graduate student, Ken Ortega, formulated an elegant model to account for the handedness reversal during the various developmental states of the sporangiophore. The esse nce of the elegant model is that spiral growth can be explained by a combination of fibril slippage and reorientation. In subsequent work on avoidance, he discovered an aiming error, as was previously found in phototropism. This discovery helped resolve some apparent discrepancies in the work of other groups and has clarified the methodology and interpretation of avoidanc e experiments. Igor has for some time championed the idea that the long-sought avoidance gas is simply water. To support this interesting idea, he has carried out experimental and theoretical studies in connection with transpiration properties of the spor angiophore. More work will be needed to determine the nature of the avoidance gas and eventually the mechanism of avoidance. In any case, his theoretical and computational work with Pellegrino and Sani should prove very helpful in understanding the air fl ow patterns in the environment around the sporangiophore. His recent discovery and characterization of anemogeotropism as a function of relative humidity provides important constraints on models that attempt to account for the avoidance and wind responses. Although most of Igor's work has been on Phycomyces, he has contributed in other scientific areas including infrared reception in snakes (published in Scientific American and elsewhere), leukocyte chemotaxis, and bacteriophage physiology. Igor told me at an early stage of his invention and marketing of a portable hyperbaric chamber (Gamow bag) for rescuing mountain climbers and others subject to altitude sickness. This remarkable piece of work shows Igor's creativity and drive, as well as his breadth ranging from fundamental problems in sensory perception in model microorganisms and invertebrates to a practical lifesaving invention. Igor has also made significant contributions in use of larger scale hyperbaric chambers for training of Olym pic athletes, a novel approach which was converse to the conventional wisdom. I see from Igor's CV that he has received a number of patents for this and other inventions. Moreover, he has received ample media attention that brings credit not only to himse lf and his coworkers but also to the department and the university. I am unable to comment specifically on Igor's teaching contributions. However, having heard many presentations he has given at scientific meetings, I would expect Igor to be a dynamic and highly effective teacher. His broad knowledge in biology, biophysic s and engineering should make him a versatile and exciting teacher in many subjects. Igor's recent publication record has not maintained itself at the level he had in the 1970s and 1980s. Nevertheless he has remained active, creative, and productive in new and important ways. His accumulated accomplishments in the past 20 years since he w as promoted to associate professor justify, in my view, promotion to associate professor. His former student, Ken Ortega, was promoted to full professor a few years ago at University of Colorado in Denver. That fast- track promotion, which I strongly supp orted, reflects well on Ken's mentor, Igor, and it seems appropriate on this and other grounds to promote Igor to that same level. If Igor were up for promotion in my department, I believe he would have a good chance of success. There would be concern about the slowing of his basic science productivity, but also recognition of his successful redirection to more practical problems and the attention he has drawn for that work. Given that Igor is in an engineering department, I would expect even more recognition should be given for successful creative work leading to patents and publication. I recommend very strongly that you consider Igor Gamow favorably for promotion to Professor. Yours sincerely, Edward Lipson Professor and Acting Chair