Skip to main content

Blog Archives

1. Development of Personal Identification & 2. Homo Naledi

Presented by the Lyceum Society

Welcome and Introductions: 11:30 am to 11:45 am 

Initial Presentation: 11:45 am to 12:45 pm 

Speaker: Ruth Milts 

Topic: Homo Naledi 

Excavated starting in 2013 in South Africa, the hominin now called Homo naledi may be over 330,000 years old. How were they related to other Homo species? What were they like physically? Their teeth may indicate their diet. The known remains may have been buried intentionally. Ms. Milts will review the discovery, what is known, and what remains unknown about this “new” human ancestor. 

Ruth Milts graduated from Cornell University at age 19. She did graduate work in biology at Colombia University, where she received an M.S. She worked for 33 years at William H. Maxwell Vocational High School in Brooklyn, first as a biology teacher and then as a program chair, assistant principal (administration) and assistant principal (supervision). She earned an M.A. from Pace University in College Administration and Supervision. She has always been interested in paleo-anthropology and archaeology and has participated in archaeological digs in the Southwest and England. Among her many interests are attending opera and doing beadwork. 

Main Presentation: 12:45 pm  to 2:30 pm 

Speaker: David J. Haas 

Topic: Personal Identification: Its Modern Development and Security Implications 

Personal Identification: Modern Development and Security Implications, Second Edition chronicles the path of personal identification measures, including the latest developments of Real ID, which, in addition to a passport,  provides a “trusted & secure” identification card for every American citizen.  Scholars and professional security managers understand that stability, security, and safety necessitate these identity measures to ensure a safer America after 9/11. The book explains the various stages and advances in the 200 years of personal identification development. It provides readers with a unique study of this fascinating history of the relationship between identity and how one validates and proves one’s own identity. The enactment of the REAL ID Act of 2005, requiring a trusted and tamper-resistant document for each citizen of the United States (their State-issued driver’s license or Identification Card), is being instituted so that one can trust that “you are who you say you are.” The state-issued Real ID driver’s license is not a national ID card but a nationally recognized ID for each citizen. 

David Haas received his BA in Physics and PhD in Biophysics in protein crystallography and molecular biology at the State University of NY at Buffalo.  For the next five years, he performed basic research in protein crystallography at several institutions in Europe, Israel, and the United States.  In 1970, he joined Philips Electronic Instruments in Mt Vernon, NY, as Principal Scientist for X-ray systems, working on analytical instruments and designing some of the first airport security X-ray systems used worldwide during the 1970s.

Conceiving the idea of a self-expiring security ID (Visitor badge), David and his wife, Sandra, formed Temtec Inc., which developed and manufactured high-tech visitor and temporary IDs for more than 20 years under the brand name TEMPbadge.  Temtec Inc. was sold to Brady Worldwide Corporation in 2002.  David & Sandra Haas have more than 100 patents to their credit and many technical and scientific publications. 

Dr. Haas has published a book by ASIS International entitled:  “Personal Identification – Its Modern Development and Security Implications.”  It reviews the history and reasons for modern personal identification documents such as Passports, National Identity Cards, etc.  Dr. Haas also published a monograph on the development of Electronic Security Screening for Aviation Passenger Screening between 1968 and 1973. 

The Lyceum Society is a collegial venue promoting fellowship, education, and discussion among retired members of NYAS.   

Lyceum: 1. The Scientist’s Role in Crafting Effective Public Policy & 2. Quantum Dots: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023

Welcome and Introductions: 11:30 am to 11:45 am 

Initial Presentation: 11:45 am to 12:45 pm 

Speaker: Philip Apruzzese

Topic: Quantum Dots: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 rewards the discovery and development of quantum dots, nanoparticles so tiny that their size determines their properties. These smallest components of nanotechnology now spread their light from televisions and LED lamps, and they guide surgeons when they remove tumor tissue, among many other applications. 

Physicists had long known that in theory, size-dependent quantum effects could arise in nanoparticles. Few people believed that this knowledge would be put to practical use. However, in the early 1980s Aleksey Yekimov created nanoparticles of copper chloride in glass. Their size affected the color of the glass via quantum effects. 

A few years later, Louis Brus was the first scientist to prove size-dependent quantum effects in particles floating freely in a fluid. In 1993 Moungi Bawendi revolutionized the chemical production of quantum dots, resulting in almost perfect particles. This high quality was necessary for them to be utilized in applications.  

Quantum dots now illuminate computer monitors and television screens based on QLED technology. They add nuance to the light of some LED lamps, and biochemists and doctors use them to map biological tissue.  

Philip W. Apruzzese (BE Chem. E., MS Technology Mgmt., CHMM) graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ. He was employed in the pharmaceutical industry (Squibb, Beecham, Schering-Plough) for nearly 40 years, holding manufacturing operations, project, research pilot plant startup, and environmental compliance management positions. From 2010 to 2019 he was employed part-time as a Chem Eng/Environmental, health and safety consultant, in addition to working seasonally as a Level C Official for USA Cycling racing events. Since relocating to the Seattle area he has begun volunteer work with several non-profit community cycling/Recycling resources and advocacy organizations. In 2015, he spoke on Tour de France cycling performance enhancements – Post Lance/Post Drugs. In 2019 and 2021 he presented on the Nobel Prize in Chemistry before the Lyceum Society. 

Initial Presentation: 12:45 pm to 2:30 pm 

Speaker: Kiran Rachamallu 

Topic: The Scientist’s Role in Crafting Effective Public Policy (Annual address by an alumnus of the NYAS Junior Academy)

Increasingly, the scientific community has been called upon to utilize their expertise when making important policy decisions. This talk will highlight how scientific research is used in the context of policy making in the federal government, demonstrating how to ensure that policies are based on accurate information that reflects the latest scientific advancement. Using real world examples such as climate change, antibiotic resistance, and Covid-19, this talk will go through some strategies on how scientists can ensure their voices are heard as well as best practices for translating cutting-edge scientific research into real world policy change.  

Kiran Rachamallu is a Research Assistant at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (https://www.cbpp.org). He has previously worked for the Department of Health and Human Services and the American Institutes for Research. Kiran is skilled in conducting both basic science and social science research and specializes in translating the latest scientific research into recommendations for policymakers. Throughout high school, he was a member of the Junior Academy of the New York Academy of Sciences and participated in several challenges. Kiran graduated summa cum laude from the College of William and Mary with a Bachelors in Public Policy and Biology. 

The Lyceum Society is a collegial venue promoting fellowship, education, and discussion among retired members of NYAS.