Zhores Alferov was a Soviet and Russian world famous physicist. Thanks to his investigations we have nowadays fiber-optic communication technology (used for modern Internet), lasers (at the room temperature: used everywhere including for example medicine), high quality mobile network. For his inventions in semiconductor physics Zhores Alferov got the Nobel Prize in 2000.
He worked a lot on popularization of science and inspiration of young generation. He used to say that academician does not have any authority for student, though thier a couple of years older schoolmates have. In the end of 80th he started a school, where as he said they wanted to infect young people with the “virus of science”. In 90th during the very tough time for Russian science (and Russia in general) he ran the Physical Research Institute in St. Petersburg. In the beginning of 2010th he opened a University which would close the cycle “Schoolchild — Student — Academician”. Not only lasers and Internet work thanks to his efforts, thousands of young people were “infected by science”.
I was one of them. From 2002 to 2006 I had luck to study in the school he started, actually in the new building, which was partially financed through his Nobel Prize (the other part Zhores Alferov got through some personal sacrifices from the government). Though now I may be to far away from such applications of semiconductors as transistors, the school tought me many important things, including freedom, gave me lots of highly intelligent colleagues and schoolmates all over the world, and who knows how will work the virus of science in me in the coming years.
Zhores Alferov passed away at night between 1st and 2nd of March 2019 at the age of 88.
