Meet Martin Karplus

Austrian-born American theoretical chemist and Nobel Laureate Martin Karplus, 90, about the central role of education throughout his life

Interview by Simone Poetscher,
Director of Programs and Operations at the Office of Science and Technology Austria in Washington, DC

© COURTESY OF MARTIN KARPLUS

It’s good to speak with you about some of your most memorable experiences in education, Martin. Let us start at the very beginning. Your family had to flee Austria for the United States after the Anschluss. You were only eight years old at that time. What role did education play for you in the early stages of life?

When I was in first grade in Austria, I had a wonderful teacher, who reinforced my interest in learning. One important lesson was the requirement that although I was left-handed, I write with my right hand. Seeing what contortions left-handed students go through in the U.S. made me grateful that I had been forced to change. Once in America, I immediately went to school and I had a teacher, who after class helped me to learn English. I enjoyed this special attention, but unfortunately I learned English so quickly, that it did not last very long.

Learning new things, especially those of interest to you, seems to have always come naturally to you. Or were there any motivations, in particular, that made you want to excel in school?

One aspect was that having come from Austria, I never quite felt that I belonged in the U.S. So I focused on trying to be outstanding so I would be more likely to be accepted. But beyond that there was the focus of my parents on the importance of education and me doing well in school. I wanted to please them. And finally, I just loved learning new things. That is true to this day.

You studied at some of the most prestigious universities in the world. You spent your undergraduate years at Harvard University, then joined the California Institute of Technology to earn a Ph.D., and afterwards went on to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship at Oxford University. What were the most formative experiences for you during those years?

When I was an undergraduate at Harvard, I had a wonderful teacher named Leonard Nash, who after class spent extra time with a group of us. He was discussing a wide range of topics, beyond those addressed in the course. At Caltech, I did my degree with Linus Pauling, who taught me, among other things, the importance of intuition. The feeling that you knew the answer to a problem, before you spent time working it out in detail. Richard Feynman stressed the same thing.

So it was not only the lessons you learned in class that shaped your perspectives. The experiences and one-on-one exchanges with your mentors were key to your educational journey.

They were extremely important, yes. For instance, with a group of postdocs working with Pauling, I organized a group theory course in which each person reported on a chapter in Eugene Wigner’s text. I was the “baby” in the group and learned much from them. At Oxford, I realized that what I wanted to work on was problems of interest to chemists, rather than just theoretical chemists, and that nuclear magnetic resonance was such an area inspired by Don Hornig and the physicist, H.M.C. Pryce.

Let us fast-forward to 2013. The year you earned the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Yes. When I was notified that I had received the prize, it was a surprise because although I knew that I had been nominated for many years, I had thought that time had passed me by.

Martin Karplus receives the Nobel Prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

© COURTESY OF MARTIN KARPLUS

You dedicated the Nobel Prize to your current and former students and postdocs, the many “Karplusians” who have supported you in your laboratories along the way. What is the significance of their support for you?

I dedicated the Prize to them because it was their research—generally on problems proposed by me and with my advice—that actually solved the problems. The results of this research, particularly the development of the molecular dynamics methodology for understanding the function of biomolecules, led to my receiving the Nobel Prize.

Being recognized with the Nobel Prize has undoubtedly raised interest in your research across the globe. You also spent some of your formative years abroad. What role does international experience play today, in your opinion?

I had the opportunity of traveling widely throughout Europe, as well as the Americas, and Asia. As a postdoc with Charles Coulson, I spent the six weeks of vacation visiting many countries in Europe, including driving through what was then Yugoslavia to Greece. After returning to the U.S., I took a trip out west to visit Pauling. During the next ten or so years I was invited for lectures to South America and Asia. It was these travels that led to my making a collection of color photographs that have been exhibited in many countries, including most recently in Venice, Italy. From these travels, I learned about the customs and lives of many peoples, which broadened my understanding of the world.

Do you think students today get more or less international exposure than you did? Are today’s students being exposed to those experiences that will broaden their understanding of the world?

Unfortunately, most young people today feel, even independent of COVID, that they cannot “waste” their time to go abroad. They feel they have to hurry to get ahead. So, their understanding of the world is much more limited.

What effect do you think hurrying through life will have on today’s generation of students?

The “hurrying” will not leave them time, with of course many exceptions, to pursue other interests, such as photography, hiking and cooking, which have played an important role in my life. Having such as these, I believe helps in being successful in one’s career, whatever it may be.

Martin, you have contributed to the education of many young people. Which changes would you welcome in today’s educational landscape?

Marci and Martin Karplus with President Barrack Obama, who invited American Nobel Laureates to the White House.
© COURTESY OF MARTIN KARPLUS

My feeling is that the education of young people, before they become graduate students and devote their time to research, should be some combination of the European system with its high standards and rather rigid programs, and the American system with its greater openness and emphasis on creativity.

You suggest combining the best of both worlds. As education formats are redesigned due to COVID-19, what do you believe policymakers and educators should focus on?

The primary focus should be on providing the education safely, which unfortunately may mean that in many places classes will have to be done virtually. With the realization that some in person contact is very valuable, when it can be done safely, it should be introduced. In addition to standard curriculum, students should be taught the importance of physical distancing, wearing of facemasks and hand washing.

Martin Karplus’ report card in 1st grade.
© COURTESY OF MARTIN KARPLUS

So, more focus on teaching students how to remain safe in their educational environments?

Certainly. Concerning the latter, it should be explained why washing with soap for at least 20 seconds is important: the active ingredient of soap is a molecule one part of which is soluble in fat and the other in water. The virus is fatty so the molecule attaches to the virus by its fat soluble part and then the water soluble part tears up the virus. The 20 seconds is important because this process takes time.

Spoken like a true chemist. Where do you believe the future of education and higher education will take us, beyond the current challenges with COVID-19? Are we on the right path?

I think we are not on the best path. Several things need to be changed, some of which are already being changed in certain schools. A greater emphasis should be placed on STEM related programs. It should also be made clear that possibilities for women and minority groups are offered. The importance of the need to combat climate change needs to be stressed. Also, students should be made aware of the great disparity between the very rich and the poor, particularly African Americans, in the U.S. and what can be done to change this.

Increasing STEM programs in schools, gender equality, confronting climate change, and fighting social inequalities and injustices are topics of importance globally. How will scientists be able to help societies resolve these challenges?

Scientists, acting as scientists, can contribute by explaining the importance of STEM education and approaches to limiting climate change. They could visit schools and talk to students about these concerns. My brother, Robert, did just that to foster science education in elementary schools. He found often that the students were more open to what he suggested than the teachers. Concerning the other challenges you mention, scientists could only contribute as citizens, like any others, since they have no special expertise in these areas.

Thank you for sharing your perspective, Martin.

Martin Karplus is the Theodore William Richards Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. He was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing a computer-based method for modeling complex chemical systems. Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1930, Martin Karplus fled to the U.S. together with his family before the German occupation in 1938. After studying at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the United States, he moved to the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, where he received his Ph.D. in 1953. Martin Karplus worked at the University of Illinois in Urbana- Champaign, at Columbia University in New York, and since 1967 at Harvard University. He is also associated with the University of Strasbourg, France. Martin Karplus is married and has three children. His autobiography “Spinach on the Ceiling. The Multifaceted Life of a Theoretical Chemist” was published by World Scientific in July 2020.

The interview was conducted in September 2020