Larry Shaw (physicist)

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Larry Shaw, the "founder" of Pi Day, at the Exploratorium in San Francisco
Larry Shaw, the "founder" of Pi Day, at the Exploratorium in San Francisco

Lawrence N. Shaw (born August 12, 1939 in Washington, DC , USA - † August 19, 2017 ) was an American physicist , curator , artist and founder of Pi Day . He worked at the Exploratorium for over 33 years , during which time he held almost every function. He was an important member of the arts and technology community and supported organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area .

Career

Lawrence N. Shaw is the son of Wilfred L. Shaw and Ida W. Shaw. His father worked for the Ministry of Agriculture. The family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area when he was one and a half years old. There he attended Pleasant Hill High School and received a Bachelor of Arts in physics from Reed College in Portland, Oregon in 1961 .

At college, he met his future wife, Catherine Adams. They both married in 1963 and had two daughters, Dr. Tara Shaw, a sports medicine specialist, and Dr. Sara Shaw, a veterinarian. Larry and Catherine celebrated their wedding anniversary 54 times with the "full moon in June" (also Strawberry Moon) and were remarried every seven years with a "re-wedding", since "the body renews itself every seven years".

Prior to joining the Exploratorium, Larry Shaw worked on physics-related assignments at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley , Space Sciences Laboratory .

Exploratory

"You are the Exploratorium", the future director said to his "technical curator" Larry Shaw when he retired in 2005 after 33 years.

When he was led by the founder and director Dr. Frank Oppenheimer was hired, said Shaw could "pick any title he wanted - except that of the director."

In the February 7, 1994 cover story of MicroTimes, he said of his role as technical curator: "I have a lot of hats on. Basically, I'm looking for a technology that will advance the museum's mission." He designed and built exhibits, arranged for music and performing arts, and worked with many of the artists in residence to provide technical support, expand their visions, and turn their sometimes wild ideas into successful exhibits. For example, he helped design hexagonal stepping stones on which visitors could dance and make music. He also tried to connect the visitors' experience with other phenomena such as Whistler through electrical impulses in the atmosphere. In 2001, he worked with the Exploratorium Center for Media and Communications to add multimedia, video, and telecommunications to the museum's interactive learning environment. The Exploratorium and STEAM used Larry Shaw ( English . Acronym for S cience, T echnics, e ngineering, A rts, M athematics;. Dt science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics) to visitors to facilitate the understanding of the world, long before the STEAM abbreviation (or STEM ) was used.

"He loved helping people see that they are capable and that they can immerse themselves in areas of human thought that they thought were closed to them," said his wife. "That is what the Exploratorium stands for."

Pi day

Larry Shaw, the "Prince of Pi", invented the holiday in 1988 at the Exploratorium. During a staff outing, he began to talk about the secrets of mathematical constants. Shaw came up with the idea of linking the circle number Pi (3.14159…) to the date March 14th (spelling in English speaking area 3/14). The employees accepted the idea and held a mini party with cake. The next year the holiday was held for everyone in the museum and every year since then, even if the museum was closed during the move. The celebration consists of a parade at 1:59 pm, at which the visitors hold up signs with the number of Pi, a Pi shrine, cake (fruit and pizza), the serenade " Happy Birthday " in honor of Albert Einstein's birthday and much more. Larry Shaw led the parade in his red cap with the digits of the number pi. Pi Day was recognized as a national holiday in 2009 and is celebrated internationally. 2015 was a special year; it was written in the English spelling 3/14/15 and called "Pi Day of the Century". Shaw felt that the best thing about Pi Day was making math more accessible and fun for those who struggled with it in school. When asked if he was proud of events held around the world, he said, "Yes and no. It's not my day, it's everyone's. I'm just the guy who holds the rod."

Art and music

In addition to supporting the Artists in Residence and others at the Exploratorium, he made a contribution to the art and technology community.

He was a core member of YLEM: Artists Using Science & Technology. For the 10th anniversary of CyberArts X and the 20th anniversary of YLEM, he was responsible for the online aspect of the event. At the YLEM exhibition in December 2001 he showed his piece "SF Fog, 1967", which "combined the friendly image of the Golden Gate Bridge , which dissolves in a swirling fractal nebula, in its digital collage".

He has helped host computer graphics- related events for ACM SIGGRAPH's local institutions, both Bay Area ACM SIGGRAPH and, later, San Francisco ACM SIGGRAPH. He also served internationally on the SIGGRAPH Art Show Jury and on the conference committee at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Larry Shaw has been named the "GodFather" of the San Francisco Robotics Society of America (SFRSA). SFRSA media champion Cliff Thompson said in a tribute in 2001, "Seemingly little known and behind the scenes, Larry has been at the Engineering Epi-Center over the years with more profound transformative technical, scientific, and cultural experiences than anyone I know."

He composed and played electronic music ( The Coagulation of Time ) and made electronic harmonies .

After his retirement he had more time to pursue his artistic passion, to turn his photos into abstractions. He continued to volunteer as a sound engineer for non-profit organizations.

Buddhism

Larry Shaw and his wife Catherine have visited, prayed, and studied Buddhist places around the world. He and his family joined the Marin Buddhist Temple in 1985. He served as president for several terms. "He was a true Bodhisattva, always ready and able to help all those in need and to share his knowledge and insights. Everyone who knew him testifies to his extremely good support, his infectious enthusiasm, his amazing interests, seemingly inexhaustible energy and sincere, easygoing loving consideration for all. "

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Lawrence N Shaw in the 1940 Census | Ancestry. Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
  2. Larry Shaw '61. Retrieved March 14, 2019 (American English).
  3. ^ Oral History of Catherine Shaw - Oral History. Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
  4. Does Your Body Really Refresh Itself Every 7 Years? Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
  5. a b Larry Shaw. June 16, 2002, accessed March 14, 2019 .
  6. ^ A b Larry Shaw Obituary. Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
  7. Michael Rubin: Title Learning Through Experience: The Work, Philosophy, and Future of the Exploratorium . Ed .: MicroTimes: Northern California's Computer Magazine. February 7, 1994.
  8. ^ Building a STEAM Museum. Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
  9. ^ Steve Rubenstein: Memorial service set for Pi Day creator Larry Shaw. September 19, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
  10. ^ A Slice of Pi (π) Day History. February 26, 2018, accessed March 14, 2019 .
  11. Katherine Schulten: Throwback Thursday | The Pi Day of the Century. In: The Learning Network. March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2019 (American English).
  12. Pi (π) Day. January 23, 2017, accessed March 14, 2019 .
  13. ^ Mike Wall, Space com Senior Writer | March 15, 2012 05:07 pm ET: Coming Down from the Pie-High: Wacky Pi Day Celebration. Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
  14. YLEM MEMBERSHIP. Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
  15. Larry Shaw. Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
  16. SF events 11.26. Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
  17. Thanks, Larry Shaw! Retrieved March 14, 2019 .