Diana K. Buchwald's Watson Lecture, Einstein in Pasadena: Between Two Worlds, now on Caltech's YouTube Channel
Watson Lecture: Diana K. Buchwald Reveals Details from Albert Einstein's Time at Caltech - 03/13/2024
Prof. Diana Buchwald delivered a public lecture, Einstein in Pasadena: Between Two Worlds, as part of the 101st season of Caltech's Watson Lectures. The lecture explored the diaries Einstein kept during his visits to Caltech in the early 1930's. During her talk, Buchwald delved into the dual roles Einstein played as a professor in Germany during the early rise of the Nazi Party and as a celebrity scientist traveling the world.
Buchwald explained, "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." She planned for the lecture "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."
Prior to the event, at Beckman Auditorium, staff from The Einstein Papers Project were available to answer questions about the initiative. Guests also had a chance to view the Caltech Archives' Becoming Caltech exhibition in the Beckman Museum. There were some devoted Einstein fans in attendance.
