It’s 2 AM in Moscow. The year is 1989. Leslie Cohen (E’62,’64,’66) finds himself seated around a table with the president and seven vice presidents of the USSR Academy of Sciences (now the Russian Academy of Sciences), an institution that to date boasts 19 Nobel laureates. As a foreign member of the Academy living in Russia for the previous five years, he has been asked by one of the vice presidents for help. The Iron Curtain is about to fall, and with it will come fundamental changes for the Academy. It must streamline and restructure to avoid collapse.
At Cohen’s request, a dozen chalkboards line the walls. He has been scribbling on them for hours, listing more than 100 agreements the Academy has with governments and other institutions worldwide. Taking a big piece of chalk, Cohen strategically circles the ones he believes the Academy should maintain. Then he turns to face his audience and says: “The rest? Cut ’em loose.”
The Academy follows his bold advice and, as a result, not only survives but flourishes. This is just one example of Cohen’s global vision among the scientific community during his four-decade career, primarily within the field of composite engineering.
For his numerous contributions—including starting a foundation to groom the next generation of engineers—he has received some special recognition. The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, an international professional society with dozens of chapters worldwide, has awarded him its highest honor, the George Lubin Memorial Award. It’s given only when an outstanding candidate is apparent. It has been six years since the last presentation.
—Shannon Deep (CMU’10, HNZ’11)
