University of Utah languages and literature professor James T. Svendsen and physics professor Orest G. Symko have been named University Professors for the 1990-91 academic year.
Svendsen has been a member of the faculty of the department of languages and literature since 1969 and an adjunct associate professor of theater since 1976. He is known for his work with the Classic Greek Theatre Festival, an annual play that tours the state.As University Professor, Svendsen will teach a two-quarter course on Greek and Roman civilizations. An integral part of the course will be a field trip to Los Angeles for private tours of the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum and Summa, a private gallery and auction house specializing in Greek and Roman antiquities. An evening lecture series will be offered covering a wide range of Greek and Roman topics.
Symko has been a member of the U. faculty since 1970. He is widely known for his research in superconductivity, magnetism and low-temperature physics.
As University Professor, Symko will develop and teach a new upper-division liberal education course, "Science of the Digital Domain." He will show how everyday devices, such as personal computers, grocery store laser scanners and videotapes, are based on digital processes and will explore the physical principles involved. He will also organize a lecture, "Physics and the Digital Revolution," for U. faculty and students and science teachers.