Stony Brook’s Collaborations with Czech Scientists

For the past half-century, I have been fortunate in maintaining collaborations with Czech scientists in the Czech Republic [formerly Czechoslovakia] from the Geofyzikální ústav-GFU [Institute of Geophysics] of the Československá Akademie Věd-ČSAV [Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences]. These collaborations have included exchange visits by me to Prague [Praha] and convening international workshops in 1976, 1986 and 1996 in castles used by the ČSAV as well as visits by Czech colleagues to Stony Brook University. The objective of this report is to relate this history. This paper is dedicated to the memory of Vladislav Babuška.


Introduction
Over the past decade, I have written papers on my history pursuing a scientific career in mineral physics. The first 3 of these papers appeared in a Special Issue of the journal Minerals and were later included in the book volume on "Mineral Physics: In Memory of Orson Anderson": these included "The Orson Anderson era of mineral physics at Lamont in the 1960s" [1]; "The birth of mineral physics at the ANU in the 1970s" [2]; "My career as a mineral physicist at Stony Brook: 1976-2019" [3]; and "Bob-san and high-pressure science and technology in Japan:

Exchange Visit to GFU-CSAV in 1971
In 1971 after the IUGG General Assembly in Moscow, I had the privilege of visiting geophysical institutes in Czechoslovakia on a scientific exchange program sponsored by the United States National Academy of Sciences and the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences [ČSAV]. The purpose of this visit was to observe current geophysical research in Czechoslovakia, to become acquainted with research scientists in this field, and to exchange ideas and expertise with them. Under the terms of the exchange agreement, the U.S. Academy provided support for my transport to Czechoslovakia and the ČSAV provided subsistence and travel expenses within the country; I stayed at the Botel Racek on the Vltava River.
The principal focus of my visit was the GFU in Prague, the largest and most active center for geophysical research in the country. In particular, I spent most of my time discussing mutual research interests with the seismology and mineral physics groups in that institute. I spent six weeks at the GFU working with Zdeněk Pros and Vladislav [hereafter Vláďa] Babuška on measurements of elastic anisotropy to study the velocities of natural rocks using a novel technique to fabricate spherical specimens [see Pros and Babuška [6]; Pros et al. [7]].
I also met many of their colleagues, including Jaroslava [hereafter Jarka] Plomerová who was then a graduate student in seismology and advised by Jiří Vaněk.
Babuška has had a pioneering role in the study of seismic anisotropy, from laboratory experiments of elastic anisotropy of rock samples with Zdeněk Pros through seismic anisotropy of the Earth's crustal and mantle structures on continental and global scales with Jaroslava Plomerová that is recognized worldwide [see Babuška, Plomerová and Šílený [8]; Plomerová, Šílený and Babuška [9]].
I also had considerable interaction with the Department of Geophysics of Charles University in Prague. Brief visits were made to the Institute of Applied Geophysics in Brno and the Geophysical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava.
Geophysical and geological field excursions provided opportunities to see re-  Figure 1). Although I developed a 300-word vocabulary during the month, I spoke no Czech when I arrived in Prague. Communication was not inhibited, however, since most of my fellow scientists spoke English well and pencil sketches filled in the gaps. Students, in particular, were anxious for the contact with a native English speaker; and during walks in the woods, young children would teach me the name of the trees: bříza for birch [which surprised some of my geophysical colleagues who knew the name Birch in a different context]. German proved useful when dealing with shop keepers, tram conductors and hotel staff. Travel throughout the country was completely unrestricted and easy, although a substantial reason for this ease in my case was the unselfish and attentive guidance of my traveling companions.
As     Sponsored by the GFU of the ČSAV (Figure 3 and Figure 4).