by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Len Zane, a visiting professor at UNM, said it is a happy coincidence he is teaching in 2005, 100 years after Albert Einstein published the theory of special relativity.
"It worked out real nicely to have the classes I'm teaching on the 100th anniversary of Einstein's big year," he said.
Zane is teaching a class in the honors program this fall called Introduction to Einstein's Spacetime. He is visiting from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and is also teaching Black Holes and General Relativity.
He said both classes give students a chance to learn about subjects normally unavailable to undergraduates. He said algebra is the only math required for his honors class.
"The premise is you can teach people a serious class in general relativity," he said. "If students are willing to do some algebra, they can be in that class."
Zane was hired to fill the Garrey Carruthers distinguished chair in honors. He will be here for only the fall semester.
Rosalie Otero, director of the honors program, said Zane is meant to help the honors program expand its horizons.
"One of the things we wanted to do was bring interdisciplinary scholars - this is an interdisciplinary program - every year," she said.
The Carruthers Chair is paid for by a $1 million endowment made to the honors program in 1989 from the Burlington Resources Foundation, Otero said. She said there has been a guest professor every year since then.
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Otero has been trying to get more fields represented in the honors program, which is dominated by humanities, she said.
"We've been trying to expand the curriculum in the honors program, and so for the last few years we've been trying to bring in scientists," she said.
It is often difficult to integrate scientists into the program because they are so specialized, and they often struggle to teach more generalized undergraduate courses, she said.
Visiting faculty in the chair are usually compensated between $80,000 and $100,000. They stay either one or two semesters, she said.
Zane is getting paid about $70,000 including benefits and housing, she said.
Zane said he came to New Mexico for a break from Nevada.
"I've been at the same place for 30 years," he said. "I thought it would be kind of fun. I sort of came for a change of pace."
Zane said he also came to New Mexico for the hiking. He has already hiked La Luz and Mt. Wheeler, and plans to go on a hike every one or two weeks, he said.
Zane said he did not bring any of his UNLV Rebels shirts to UNM in the interest of keeping the peace with Lobo fans.
He's impressed with UNM students, too.
"The students seem enthusiastic so far," Zane said. "They ask good questions, and the physics class turns in their assignments on time. I guess we'll see once exams start coming back."
