The genius of reflection
IT’S not far from where Linus Pauling discovered how atoms link to form molecules. Or where Charles Richter developed the Richter scale. Or where 17 future Nobel laureates studied (Frank Capra too). But this morning, the red-eared slider turtles at Caltech in Pasadena don’t seem all that impressed. All they care about is the sun, warm and bright, shining down on the home they share with crayfish, egrets and a family of mallards. Throop Garden perfects the science of peace and quiet, just as architect A. Quincy Jones probably envisioned when he designed this haven south of Dabney Hall in 1973. How many great brains have set aside thoughts of positrons and quasars, and instead paused to watch koi cruise aimlessly, or listened to the rush of cascading water, or witnessed the beauty of azaleas in bloom?
-- Craig Nakano
