Glasnost Gives U.S. Teens Peek At Science Journal, Kvant

WASHINGTON—United States scientists are putting the final touches on the first issue of an English-language version of a Soviet magazine for gifted high school science and math students. A striking example of glasnost, the publishing venture is all the more remarkable because of the scientist who first proposed the idea of a joint arrangement between the two countries. The magazine will be called Quantum, a translation of its namesake, Kvant. It will debut in late November under the auspices of three scientific societies and with the support of a three-year, $366,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Reflecting its initial focus on mathematics and physics, the magazine will be published by the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. “This is a magazine for the nerds and geeks in our high schools,” says Sheldon Glashow, the Harvard physicist and Nobel laureate who will be the magazine’s editor-in-chief for physics. Glashow says that the publication will also serve the needs of youngsters around the country where the local culture and educational system fail to provide them with “the chance to wrestle with these elegant brain teasers in school or anywhere and who may not know that it’s all right to think about such things.” Glashow spoke last month at a press conference here that included physicist Yuri Ossipyan, vice president of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and editor-in-chief of Kvant. Ossipyan spoke frankly about the sorry state of science education in this country, and suggested that his magazine, which was created in 1970 and has a paid circulation of 200,000 in the Soviet Union, could make a difference. “This is one area where we can help you,” Ossipyan declared. “We have a long tradition of developing the talents of our brightest students in science. You must increase your attention to these subjects—it’s essential for success in the world arena." Quantum will begin as a 48-page magazine with pilot issues published this fall and next spring. U.S. officials hope to increase its frequency until eventually it will appear monthly during the school year. Its initial press run of 100,000 will be distributed through local school districts that offer advanced courses in science and mathematics, and subsidized by companies that agree to distribute copies to students in their communities. An annual subscription will cost $9.95. U.S. officials are confident that the magazine will be a big hit not only with students, but also with high-tech advertisers who want to reach an elite audience of future customers, according to Bill Aldridge, executive director of the science teachers’ association. But whatever its future the magazine symbolizes how much the political winds have shifted since Mikhail Gorbachev took over the reins of power in the Soviet Union. That change is embodied in the career of Edward Lozansky, president of an organization that runs a summer institute in Washington for gifted students from around the world. Lozansky, a Soviet-born 47-year-old plasma physicist, formely con- ducted research at the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy in Moscow. He also fostered the scientific talents of promising teenagers by tutoring and writing for Kvant. “I promoted the magazine whenever I could, and I encouraged scientists to contribute to it,” he recalls. But Lozansky became disillusioned with his country’s political and economic system, as well as its persecution of Jewish scientists like himself, and he applied for permission to leave. After several years of struggle his wish was grunted. But his departure in 1976 did not bring with it the freedom he was seeking. His wife, Tatiana, and their young daughter had been prevented from leaving, and after a year in the U.S. Lozansky decided to abandon his research on lasers and devote his energy to obtaining their release. Thus began his new career as a publicist and polemicist on behalf of his family. In 1982, after his wife went on a well-publicized hunger strike, Soviet authorities finally granted them permission to emigrate. Out of that struggle came a book, For Tatiana, as well as ties to such leading Republican figures as Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas, who last month hosted a reception to mark her becoming, like her husband, a U.S. citizen. Despite his hostility toward the Soviet government, Lozansky retained his enthusiasm for educating the next generation of scientists. Kvant was an obvious model, but financial and political obstacles had to be overcome. “We thought about doing our own magazine,” he says about a plan he hatched with Glashow. “We even had a name: Quark. But we figured that we needed $2 or $3 million.” A joint venture involving the Soviets would have been unthinkable, especially with a traitor to the Soviet state. With the emergence of glasnost, however, Lozansky thought he’d take a chance. In 1987 he asked a friend to hand-deliver a letter to Kvant’s managing editor. Months passed with no response. Finally, a letter appeared, summoning him and his wife to a meeting in Moscow. “I was nervous, you bet,” says Lozansky about his trip last October. “I was worried that I’d be arrested at the airport and thrown into jail. I alerted everybody, including the State Department.” But instead of handcuffs, the Lozanskys were greeted with vodka and a party in the offices of the magazine. The two sides drew up a letter of intent, the Soviets formed a company to enter into an agreement with the Americans, and last April Lozansky led a larger U.S. contingent back to Moscow to sign the necessary papers. Asked to explain the remarkable turn of events, Ossipyan shrugs. “It was nothing special. Anything that we want to do to foster cooperation with the United States is possible. now.” So far the arrangement is working smoothly. The Soviets are paying $15,000 per issue for the cost of translating the material, chosen by U.S. editors from past issues of Kvant, and are shipping the English versions and the artwork to Quantum’s editors here. Glashow and Aldridge hope that an increasing share of the articles will come from U.S. scientists, particularly once they are able to pay for contributions. Lozansky expects the balance to reach 50-50 within a few years, and he predicts that at some point the two publications will merge into a single magazine with English and Soviet editions. In the meantime, Lozansky says, “it’s a perfect marriage. We can learn from Kvant’s high quality and their experience in educating gifted students. And we can teach them a little about the free-market system.”

Glasnost Gives U.S. Teens Peek At Science Journal, Kvant

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