[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 14, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ZINOVY GORBIS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 14, 2001

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Professor Zinovy 
Gorbis, who will be celebrating his 75th birthday on March 3. Professor 
Gorbis, a faculty member of UCLA's Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear 
Engineering Department, committed his life to studying the properties 
of solid particles suspended in gas or liquid. His contribution to the 
field deserves our respect and admiration. He is a prolific scientist, 
holding 17 patents and authoring three extensive field-defining papers 
and numerous articles. Long before environmental concerns led to the 
intensive study of aerosols, Professor Gorbis identified gas/liquid-
solid systems as the 5th state of matter. His ideas on the unique 
properties of gas solid systems continue to influence and direct 
research throughout the world.
  Despite the countless number of hours spent researching, Professor 
Gorbis still found time for his family. And he rarely passed up an 
opportunity to dance or play chess. Perhaps as well as anyone else, he 
has always understood the importance of life's simple treasures. 
Indeed, his passion for life helped him overcome formidable 
tribulations that most of us could not possibly imagine, As a teenager, 
he fled to the Soviet Union after German troops invaded his home and he 
experienced firsthand the horrors of war. As he grew older, he was 
never fully trusted because he was a Jew, despite the wide recognition 
and respect he received for his scientific work. In 1975, he was 
dismissed from his position and precluded from teaching when his oldest 
son, Boris, applied to leave the Soviet Union. A year later, he fled to 
Vilnius, Lithuania, waiting for the day that he could live in freedom 
and continue his crucial work. The Soviets, however, fervently refused 
to allow his family to emigrate, and Professor Gorbis spent the next 
decade in oblivion, measuring noise in elevator shafts while his wife 
suffered from a crippling bone disease.
  In 1987, Professor Gorbis and his family were finally allowed to 
leave the Soviet Union. He soon settled in southern California with his 
family, where they flourished and became outstanding citizens. Once 
again, he was able to contribute to science with selfless devotion. I 
ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Professor Gorbis for his 
outstanding achievements. His scientific work and his passion for life 
inspire us all. We thank Professor Gorbis and wish all the best to him 
and his family on his 75th birthday.

                          ____________________