ABSTRACT

Physics is an experimental science. That means that, although we greatly value the insights of theorists, the determination of whether a new idea is true or not is done experimentally. In addition to this important role of checking theories, experimentalists also often discover exciting, unexpected phenomena. Walter Fox Smith is the Paul and Sally Bolgiano Professor of Physics at Haverford College. His research centers on self-assembling electronics. The eventual goal of this field is to start with several beakers of carefully chosen chemicals, and by mixing them in the appropriate sequence and applying appropriate stimuli cause the molecules to assemble into 10 identical circuits, with complex three-dimensional structures. The field’s focus is on understanding the principles that guide the self-assembly and the fundamental physics of charge transport through individual self-assembled circuit elements such as wires and transistors. Prof. Smith is also the author of “Waves and Oscillations: A Prelude to Quantum Mechanics”.