Why did Albert Einstein decide to take a monthlong journey from Berlin to Pasadena to visit Caltech in 1930? On Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. PT in Caltech's Beckman Auditorium, Diana K. Buchwald, Robert M. Abbey Professor of History, will share insights into Einstein's scientific work and private life during the late 1920s and the early 1930s, when the physicist came to Caltech for three winters in the California sunshine.
In a public talk called "Einstein in Pasadena: Between Two Worlds" that continues the 101st season of the Watson Lectures, Buchwald, who is also director and general editor of the Einstein Papers Project at Caltech, will describe her work delving into Einstein's massive written legacy. In particular, the lecture will explore the diaries he kept during his visits to the Institute and the dual roles he played as a professor in Germany during the early rise of the Nazi Party and a celebrity scientist traveling the world.
"These diaries were not for his own edification; they were not confessional diaries. They were for his family back in Berlin, so that when he returns to Germany, he can talk to his family and his friends about his experiences in the United States," says Buchwald. "I hope to show that he was always between two worlds: the German professor who is supposed to be stern and professorial and conservative in most cases, and the very different Einstein with his own beliefs that he did bring into the public arena."
Starting at 6 p.m., staff from The Einstein Papers Project will have posters and books on view and be available to answer questions about the initiative outside Beckman Auditorium. Guests will also have a chance to view Caltech Archives' Becoming Caltech exhibition in the Beckman Museum.
Buchwald studied physical chemistry as a graduate student at Tel Aviv University. She then earned a PhD from Harvard in the history of science. Buchwald has spent her career at Caltech as a historian whose interests span science, politics, and culture between 1895 and 1945. Her research is focused on the development of scientific ideas, experiments, instruments, and technologies. Since 2000, she has worked on the Einstein Papers Project, which has published 16 volumes of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein to date. The project—one of the most ambitious scholarly publishing ventures in science—aims to present the first complete picture of Einstein's writings in a printed series developed from more than 500,000 pages that contain his correspondence, notebooks, diaries, lectures, calculations, speeches, and interviews.
The Watson Lectures offer new opportunities each month to hear how Caltech's premier researchers are tackling society's most pressing challenges and inventing the technologies of the future. Join friends and neighbors outside Beckman Auditorium to enjoy food, drinks, and music together before each lecture. Interactive displays related to the evening's topic will give audience members additional context and information. The festivities start at 6 p.m. Guests are also encouraged to stay for post-talk coffee and tea as well as the chance to converse with attendees and researchers.
Learn more about the Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series and its history at Caltech.edu/Watson.
Watson Lectures are free and open to the public. Register online. A recording will be made available after the live event.
Written by Katie Neith