Читать книгу Modern Trends in Structural and Solid Mechanics 3 - Группа авторов - Страница 24

This volume acknowledges the professional life and accomplishments of Isaac Elishakoff. I knew of his work before I met him in 1982, when I gave a talk at the Technion, in Haifa, where Isaac was a faculty member. He was very kind to a novice; at the time I worked for a consulting engineering firm in New York. It would be another seven years before I would join Rutgers University. But during that consulting period, I continued my friendship with Isaac, and we and two additional colleagues published a paper on the use of MACSYMA, one of the early symbolic codes, in problems of random vibration.

Isaac and I continued our near-periodic interactions, randomly exchanging ideas and holiday greetings. He eventually came to Florida Atlantic University, not missing a beat in his extraordinary productivity. He writes books as others write papers. His interest in mechanics goes beyond the technical aspects, intersecting with the historical provenance of the fundamental ideas that shape our disciplines. His works continue to add insights and dimension to our understanding of complex physical processes.

While my professional interests very much overlap with Isaac’s, I have recently become interested in the biological sciences, in particular, brain energetics, and whether we can apply some of our engineering and mathematical modeling skills to the fantastic and very complex processes, by which the cells in our bodies create energy. I am pleased to honor Isaac by presenting a summary of some interesting aspects of the functioning of the mitochondria, an organelle that exists in large numbers in most of our cells. It creates the energy that our bodies require in order to live, survive and think. This community has much to offer in helping to increase our understanding of these beyond-complicated processes. I am sure that Isaac would agree.

Congratulations Isaac, for what you have achieved so far, and for what you will continue to contribute!