Amazing People I have met |
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| Arnold J. Mandell, M.D. | |
 Arnold J. Mandell was the founding chairman
of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San
Diego (UCSD). By the time I met him in 1986, he was a senior
research professor at the Department who had been studying nonlinear
dynamics and its application for biological systems. Arnold is
unquestionably the smartest person I have ever met, his intelligence and
insights are awe-inspiring. He operates on a level that few people
will ever accomplish. Not surprisingly, Arnold had a brilliant
career, being the youngest physician ever appointed as a chairman of
psychiatry at a major university in this country. He has published
(and I have lost count) over 300 research articles that range from basic
biological psychiatry at a time when a biological approach was frowned
upon to the mathematical properties of complex protein folding
dynamics. I am certainly not the person who is qualified to
chronicle his life (which needs to be done) but I would like to point
the reader towards several internet sites
Look them up: . |
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| Stephen F. Gass, Ph.D. | |
Stephen is a rare breed of human
being. He is extraordinarily smart, curious, and a born problem
solver. At the same time he is a caring and concerned individual
with strong values and a deep sense of commitment. I had a chance
of working with Steve when he was a physics graduate student at UCSD.
Steve liked building his own radio-controlled airplanes, would
occasionally change the transmission of his car (all by himself), and
build all kinds of electronic gadgets. Unfortunately, he was lost
to physics when he decided to go to law school to become a patent
lawyer. As he always did, he excelled at law as he did in
physics. But then his career took a whole new direction.
Steve invented, what has been called the most important innovation in
woodworking tools over the last 25 years - SawStop. This is a mechanism,
which stops the blade of a saw in a matter of 10 milliseconds thereby
preventing major bodily injuries. Several articles have been
written about his invention and he is currently producing a table saw
with this mechanism.
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| Mark Geyer, Ph.D. | |
 Mark Geyer is an unassuming but enormously
caring mentor, who is one of those individuals who lives by
example. Mark has been at UCSD for most of his distinguished
career. He is a superb neuropsychopharmacologist, human and animal
behavioral researcher, and one of the most careful and astute editors I
have ever met. He has been on a path of discovery for the past 30
years, which has led him to explore the possibility of developing new
medications for individuals with schizophrenia and other devastating
mental disorders. Mark is insightful in a subtle and quiet manner,
who has the ability to point one's attention to the most relevant
aspects of the work ahead. This somewhat cryptic description best
summarizes my experience working with him, he is a true master in his
field and in the way he applies his mentoring abilities. Here are
few relevant web sites:
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| Charlotte "Joko" Beck
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 Spiritual
masters are a real "entities" among us. One cannot
appreciate this unless one has met such a person. Charlotte Joko
Beck is a true Zen master, which was proven to me even before I ever met
her. My first direct encounter with her was via phone message on
my answering machine. I had inquired about the Zen Center in San
Diego, leaving my name and number. A few hours later, returning
home, I found a message on my answering machine. The content of it
was trivial (but to the point), however, the manner in which this
message was spoken created a most amazing personal response, "I had
to check this Center out", whoever this was (she had not left her
name on the answering machine) carried a warmth, caring, and concern
that was infectious. Joko is the head of the San Diego Zen
Center. In the 1960s she trained under Hakuun Yasutani Roshi and
Soen Nakagawa Roshi. In 1983 she became the 3rd Dharma heir of Hakuyu
Maezumi Roshi of the Zen Center of Los Angeles. I later asked her
whether she routinely answered incoming calls, she said "of course,
that is my job". Here are a few web sites:
Look them up: |
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