Prankster, Chemist Herschbach Enjoys Post-Nobel Life

The family of Nobel Laureate Dudley R. Herschbach occasionally admonishes him with "B.J.," but it's not a nickname.

"There is often a chorus at breakfast of 'B.J.' meaning I had just told a bad joke," the Baird professor of science says, admitting he is known around campus for his sense of humor as well as his chemistry know-how.

Practical jokes were also a favorite of Benjamin Franklin, Herschbach says, and he is clearly following in the great inventor's footsteps.

His favorite prank involves Robert Burns Woodward, a former organic chemistry professor, who loved everything blue.

"I got the idea of hanging the Blue Boy in the alcove," Herschbach says, referring to the famous painting by Thomas Gainsborough. "Late one night a couple of my students and I hung it. [Woodward] didn't like it. He replaced it with a note."

Herschbach and Woodward continued to joke about the painting for many years. Woodward named Herschbach as the culprit in a magazine article years later.

Woodward was not upset by the painting, but the fact that it was a cheap reproduction, Herschbach says. Woodward scornfully stated "at Harvard, copies of any kind should not be tolerated."

Herschbach is also a frequent participant in the Ig Nobels, and he once auctioned off a cast of his foot during the annual parody of the Nobel Prize awards.

"I think it helps people not to get too wound up," Herschbach said. "To stand back now and then and see we are engaged in a human comedy in many ways.

Herschbach credits his experience as a co-master of Currier House in the early '80s as giving him insights into the lives of students, noting that he and his wife Georgene, who works in the Faculty administration, were in some sense living the life of students.

"We were re-incarnated as undergraduates," Herschbach said. "We had the chance to really get acquainted with some great students."

Herschbach, who calls the experience of being a House Master "strenuous" and "special," is known for taking on new projects with zest. At the age of 45, he began playing the viola after being inspired by his daughters' musical interests.

"I enjoyed it immensely, but it was more than a year before I could tune it myself," says Herschbach, who also canoes, skis, hikes and dabbles in photography.

His life has become even more crowded since winning the Nobel in 1986, and his office, which he cheerfully admits needs a cleaning, attests to that fact.

Books, cards, pictures and papers are everywhere--"all the things I hope to read more carefully," Herschbach, who sits in front of the "Fish" screen saver, says.

However, Herschbach does not begrudge the new demands on his time since his big win. He says he enjoys the opportunities to address subjects of broad importance.

"In particular, I feel very strongly about preaching the importance of education," Herschbach says. "Nobody asked me to do any preaching on that subject before the Nobel Prize."

While he enjoys researching the complexities of chemistry, Herschbach also enjoys teaching the basic principles of chemistry in Chem 10, traditionally populated with a healthy population of first-years.

When he chaired the chemistry department, Herschbach says he had all introductory chemistry courses taught by senior Faculty, and he continues to practice what he preached.

"Every freshman is either in one of the freshman chemistry courses or has a roommate in one," Herschbach said. "And if the students in the course have a really good experience that impacts on the way all the other students view the academic side of the work."

"What we know is enough to show us how much we don't know and how much is there for the next generation," Herschbach says. "I hope they come out with a sense that science is a very human exploration."

Herschbach jokes that his own research in chemistry is comparable to "molecular football," an unusual comparison for a tenured chemistry professor, certainly, but Herschbach did have other career options.

During his college years, Herschbach was invited to try out for the Los Angles Rams.

"Nowadays someone in my position would almost surely do it, because the salaries are so astronomical," Herschbach said. "They weren't then and I'm glad I didn't go that way."