MicroscopyPioneers
Elmar Zeitler: A Rigorous and Jovial Physicist March 12, 1927–December 19, 2020
Cameron Varano Te Pennsylvania State University, 201 Old Main, University Park, PA 16802
cvarano@psu.edu Dr. Elmar Zeitler’s early life was
marked by when and where he was born—Germany during the rise of Adolf Hitler. His parents moved the family deep into the forested areas of Bavaria to protect their children, but, ultimately, as a boy Zeitler was con- scripted into the German Luſtwaffe and was sent to the Rus- sian front. Here his friend and colleague, Dr. Michael Isaacson, remarks how his luck changed. Zeitler was captured by Ameri- can forces and taken as a prisoner of war. It is shocking to hear this described as a change of luck, but Isaacson remarked that Zeitler’s life as an American POW was less dangerous than the frontline, and more tolerable than being a Russian POW. Tis view was held by his late friend as well. Te memory was something that he literally carried with him in the form of a small handmade cigar box. Isaacson remarked that it sat atop Zeitler’s desk as his career unfolded. Why this cigar box? Dur- ing his time as a POW, his jovial nature, boyish curiosity, and affinity for basic woodworking earned him a warm relation- ship with his American captors. During this time, he learned American English and put his carpentry skills to work to help make basic furniture and, apparently, a small cigar box. Aſter the war ended, Zeitler returned to his hometown,
Würzburg, and studied physics. He progressed to the doc- toral level and completed his dissertation, Investigation about the Hard Component of Cosmic Rays, under the guidance of Dr. Helmuth Kulenkampff. Beginning in 1954, he worked at Bayer for four years on the knowledge-based perfection of scientific photography. In 1958, he visited the Department for Cell Research and Genetics at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm to work on the quantitative aspects of electron microscopy (EM). During this stay, his interest in using EM on biological specimens was ignited. Tis interest would be the driving force of his career. He and Günter Bahr were the first to publish about the determination of molecular weight by using EM. Home seemed to once again be calling, and he returned to the University of Würzburg. Here in 1960, he achieved habilitation. For our non-European readers, this is the qualification required to obtain a professorship. Scientifi- cally, he developed a method for determining the local mass of a biological object by means of quantitative contrast analy- sis. Tis was an experimental feat for which Zeitler created the precise analytical basis.
66 doi:10.1017/S1551929521000717 Ten, Zeitler (and his cigar box) crossed the Atlantic to
begin what he called his “American phase.” He first landed at the Biophysical Department of the Walter Reed Army Medi- cal Center in Washington, DC, where he continued his efforts on quantitative EM. Importantly, he was also introduced to his future wife, Leigh Bahr, Günter’s daughter. Leigh, an artist, was living in San Jose at the time. Here, I will note that this was his second wife. His first wife tragically passed away at an early age, leaving Zeitler as a heartbroken father to their young daughter. Upon marrying Leigh, the family blended into a very international family and happily welcomed the addition of a son. Isaacson noted the international flair of the family would make for delightful visits, with conversation switching from German to English to Swedish. Apparently, Christmas was an utterly magical experience in the Zeitler house, with the blend- ing of three sets of traditions. From written profiles and in Isaacson’s own words, Zeitler was a born storyteller. His stories humanized him and brought lightness to conversations. Upon hearing this, I must admit how sorry I am not to have had the opportunity to speak with the man himself. In the spring of 1964, Zeitler and Bahr organized a five-day
symposium about Quantitative EM. Tis event is considered as the “the establishment of that research field.” In the summer of 1966, Zeitler taught at a workshop on high-voltage EM held at Argonne National Laboratory; this is where he and Isaacson first met. Isaacson was a doctoral student at the University of Chicago working on the STEM project for Dr. Albert Crewe, who was then Director of the Argonne National Laboratory. It was an impactful meeting for Isaacson, who holds fast to the lessons and wisdom given by Zeitler beginning that summer. He changed his course selection to include additional math- ematics because Zeitler pressed upon him, “you can never take too much math.” Zeitler would meet with students in small groups and begin long hours of conversation and instruction with the fundamental principles then progressing to applica- tion. He spoke to the students as equal learners rather than the arrogant approach of many other instructors. Zeitler warned the students to not give too much weight to the opinions of those who think too highly of themselves. In 1968, he moved to the University of Chicago to take a faculty position within both the Department of Physics and Department of Biophys- ics. His accomplishments and impact during his Chicago years are thoroughly documented in an article by Isaacson published in 1993 in Ultramicroscopy.
www.microscopy-today.com • 2021 May
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
