All of Caltech, and the cosmology community worldwide, is mourning the death of Andrew Lange. He was one of the world’s leading scientists, co-leader of the Boomerang experiment that provided the first precise measurement of the first acoustic peak in the cosmic microwave background. He took his own life Thursday night.
It’s hard to convey how unexpected and tragic this news is. Very few people combined Andrew’s brilliance as a scientist with his warmth as a person. He always had a sparkle in his eye, was enthusiastically in love with science and ideas, and was constantly doing his best to make Caltech the best possible place, not just for himself but for everyone else around him. He was one of the good guys. The last I spoke with him, Andrew was energetically raising funds for a new submillimeter telescope, organizing conferences, and helping plan for a new theoretical physics center. We are all walking around in shock, wondering how this could happen and whether we could have done anything to prevent it. Caltech has had several suicides this year — hard to make sense of any of them.
The message from Caltech President Jean-Lou Chameau is below the fold. For any local readers, there’s contact info if you would like to talk to counselors for any reason.
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January 22, 2010
TO: The Caltech Community
FROM: Jean-Lou Chameau
It is with great sadness and regret that I must report to you the death of Professor Andrew Lange, a valued member of the Caltech faculty. Andrew was found this morning off campus, and it appears that he took his own life. Among the most difficult things that people have to deal with in life are tragedies of this sort, especially when they affect people that we know and care for; and Andrew was such a well-known, well-respected, and well-liked member of our community that many of us will be deeply affected.
Andrew came to Caltech in 1993 and was most recently the chair of the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy. He was a truly great physicist and astronomer who had made seminal discoveries in observational cosmology.
Andrew was a valued colleague and a close friend to many of us. His death is a source of great sadness to us all and our deepest sympathy goes out to his family, friends, and colleagues, all of whom mourn his loss.
We know this tragic news will come as a shock to everyone — faculty, staff, and students alike, even those of you who knew that Andrew had been struggling with personal issues. Many of us feel the need in times like these to reach out and seek help in dealing with the shock, and I urge anyone who wants help to seek it from family members, friends, faculty, and/or professional counselors. This is not only a reasonable thing to do, it is an important thing to do. I want to emphasize in particular that counselors are always available, 24-hours a day. Students should call the Counseling Center at 626-395-8331, while faculty, staff, and postdocs, should call the Staff and Faculty Consultation Center at 626-395-8360. In addition, the Counseling Center will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10-3pm.
I was so shocked to read this. My memories of Andrew’a physics classes are among my best from Caltech. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
I’m just a man with a van who is an amateur astronomer and who is also fascinated by cosmology. Just last week I was reading about Andrew Lange and the CMB long duration BOOMERANG balloon experiment at the South Pole in Joseph Silk’s ‘Infinite Cosmos’.
I have the greatest respect for the professional astronomers and cosmologists, who, for me, are the equivalent of pop stars and sports heroes… except the former endeavour to answer the greatest of all questions with much less publicity.
What a tragic, awful way for a brilliant mind and career to end. Depression is a truly dreadful illness, and I know, I’ve had first hand experience of it myself, battling with it throughout my adult life. My thoughts go out to Andrew’s colleagues and family.
I’m very saddened to hear about this tragedy. I’ll never forget Ph1 with Andrew in that freshman physics lecture hall. He was so personable and inspiring, and I loved listening to his lectures and watching his lively demonstrations. Those were some of my best memories at caltech.
At the time I didn’t have the courage to approach him about getting involved in his research, or even express my gratitude for his wonderful teaching. I wish I’d taken the opportunity to do so, and gotten to know him better. It sounds like he has been a fantastic mentor to many students. I hope that his family appreciates how many lives Andrew has positively touched.
Perhaps other faculty or students in a similar situation might read some of these blogs, and realize how much of their positive impact on other people sometimes goes unsaid.
Some years ago when I worked for Andrew, I went through a very black time myself. Andrew was unfailingly supportive and encouraged me to take all the time I needed to find my way back. It is beyond tragic that he wasn’t able to find that way though his own struggle.
If you respect him you should also respect his decision to take his own life.
Andrew Lange was the love of my life’s advisor in the early 90s. Andrew was still at UC Berkeley then, and the project they were working on was called SuZIE. Andrew was a lovely, warm, effervescent person. Although it has been many years, he left a strong impression. One of the last times I saw him it was at a casual gathering in Tilden park with graduate students, department folk, their families and significant others. I remember the sense of joy at that gathering and the glee with which he, other adults, and the children collaborated to launch toy rockets.
What a gifted man. The world was a better place with him here, he will be missed.
I thank him for the training he gave my man and for the scuba diving, lava, and love of the Big Island that might not currently be part of our lives had it not been for the telescope observing runs.
There is no shame in suicide, only tragedy.
Please celebrate and remember the life of this wonderful man.
For anyone wrestling to understand the how and why, I have found Kay Redfield Jamison’s book, Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide, an excellent resource. It restores dignity and understanding to those who wrestle with depression.
My condolences to everyone whose life Andrew ever touched, especially those closest to him.
This talks about Suicide and Antidepressant pills:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant#Suicide
#30
The bottom line is that it is impossible to prevent a person who is really determined, from taking his or her life. When I got morose about the untimely departure of someone, others would remind me that: “Remember, it was their decision”….so your comment rang very true.
However, I believe one of the keys to preventing suicide lies in communicating to the depressed person a concerned friends unwillingness to let them go. Where there is life there is hope. Once a person is dead, the survivors have no choice but to pick up the pieces of their lives and move on…but, we need to learn something from the experience ourselves.
Overseas, I would get requests for help from frantic relatives at all hours.
One mother (with panic) told me she was about to lose her son. I spoke to him and he gave me this Romeo and Juliet BS about death…flowers and beauty. I told him I had seen death up close and personal, and that death stinks…he owed it to himself to avoid it as long as possible. He is still very much alive and recently completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Hawaii.
People don’t kill themselves for nothing. A suicidal person is in great pain, what they feel is unbearable pain. Suicidal people usually have pretty good reasons for feeling they are unworthy, not wanted and appreciated, or “useless”.
What a depressed person needs most of all, is support and acceptance. Even knowing there is someone 10,000 miles away who understands can really help, becuase in the latter stages, severely depressed people usually tell themselves that NO one cares…and that if they commit suicide, it doesn’t matter…talk about a lie!
One of the most respected scientists in the world has s lot in common with the 15th (unwanted) child of a remote subsistance farmer on the islands when it comes to suicide. Intelligence has little to do with it. Severe depression blocks the connection between emotion and reason.
Which brings me to a final point: have no doubt about it- suicide is almost always an irrational act. The suicide-prone makes unjustified assumptions, and needs to have their assumptions questioned. There IS a future…an even better future regardless of what the depressed person thinks at that moment. We lose a job making five figures and find something which makes 6 or 7. When that kind of thing happens once or twice in our life, we learn to see perceived failure as an opportunity…and that where there is life, there is hope.
Once dead, any chance for our advancement, gain and worthwhile participation in society is permanently ended. The world, all 6 or 7 billion of the living, continues without us. I’ve told many suicide prone people: “You think you are worthless. You are not worthless- you are very special. However there is one thing you need to remember…suicide is irreversible. The world can and will go on without you. Hang in there. If some people don’t like you or reject you, so what? Find your own friends. Make people put up with you. Carve out a niche for yourself!”
“8For we would not, brethern, have you ignorant of out trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:10Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;11Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.12For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.”2nd Corinthians 1:8-12”
It may sound crazy but is there anything in common with what these people were doing/working on and the result of death?
I’m always speculative of why someone like Professor Lange would want to take his own life given his position, outlook, progress in work, etc. Why would someone do that?
I’m sure the military had interest in his work…question is did he have interest in having the military.
Andrew was my thesis advisor and later collaborator. Working with him was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Andrew was a brilliant scientist, generous mentor, and good friend. I am forever indebted to him, and it seems impossible that he is gone.
As a member of the Caltech faculty (in another division), I was shocked to hear about this. In my circles, there are lots of rumors and (mis)information going around, and also wondering about “what is wrong with Caltech”, and whether any of us could’ve done anything. This compounds the suicide a couple of weeks ago of Sam Roweis, a young tenured compsci prof at NYU, who was a Caltech PhD, as well as the three student suicides from last academic year. The overall silence of the Caltech administration is not helping. I don’t mean to sound overly crass or curious, but what are the *facts* concerning this tragic event? I think I speak for many who didn’t know Andrew, who are too untrained in physics to appreciate the magnitude of Andrew’s academic achievements, but who nonetheless feel deeply deeply touched and affected by the ill-ending of one of our colleagues.
Andrew was my long-time collaborator, from Boomerang until yesterday. Those of us who worked with him knew how generous he was with resources, opportunity, and credit. And how he could focus in on problems, illuminate them, so we could – as a team – find solutions. WLH is right – it seems impossible that he is gone. I will be thinking of him for a long time to come.
Andrew took me out to lunch when I visited Caltech trying to decide on a postdoc about 10 years ago. I was primarily working on some theory projects in cosmology and I was very surprised to see that he was interested in my work as I was just a grad student then. After I started at Caltech Andrew emailed me and asked me to attend his group meetings and gave time during his meetings at least three or four times over a couple of years for presentations of my research, still in theory and sometimes hardly CMB related. He introduced me to rest of his incredible team of experimentalists. One still ongoing collaboration with one of his senior team members completely changed my research career for the better, involving a new experiment and my participation in Herschel. If Andrew had not made it a point to welcome a young theorist to his group, I doubt I would be scientifically where I am today. After starting a faculty position elsewhere, Andrew kept in touch and encouraged me to use his data for new projects. Whenever I visited Caltech and saw him in the hallway he always had a few minutes at least to chat about the latest things in research. For everything Andrew has done for me either directly or indirectly as a mentor I am extremely grateful.
We cannot understand … it was its decision and we have to respect it. It’s just not acceptable for the the Planck community. He was a motor in the instrumentation development and he gathers people whatever was the conntry and the position. Difficult now to think about Planck withou him …
Someone above, in response to a question, pointed out that attempted suicide is illegal in most states of the US. What’s the motivation behind that? Presumably some religious one, as it doesn’t jibe much with the “land of the free”.
A while back, some countries used to punish attempted suicide—via the death penalty. No joke.
There is this question of why there have been so many suicides recently at Caltech. My understanding is that suicide can be contagious. If one sees others do it, they consider it more of an option. While in high school, a neighboring high school of approx 1k total students saw 5 suicides in one year. The risk for more suicides at caltech will be higher for a little while, due to this incident. This is possibly why the President, in his note about this, encouraged folks to seek counseling if they are feeling down. The below article talks about how suicide can be contagious.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4984047/Suicide-can-be-contagious-claim-scientists.html
The Toronto balloon group regarded Andrew as a mentor and a friend. My condolences to the family. This remains hard to accept.
Andrew was always kind and patient with me. He always greeted me with a smile and a sparkle in his eye. I am extremely saddened by the world’s loss of this great scientist and, perhaps more importantly, good person. I will mis his smile.
@ Phillip Helbig (#41)
I don’t know that the law was necessarily created out of religious intent. In general it seems to be a decision made along the idea that it is the governments job to protect its citizens. I see it as a law similar to the ones which force you to wear a seatbelt in a moving vehicle or those that won’t allow you to use illegal drugs, both of which I wouldn’t characterize as being religious laws as much as self-preservation laws.
Andrew Lange would have attended portions of my department’s workshop events this week as he usually did. I made sure his badge was ready for when he arrived. Yet, his badge is not needed now, and I’m very sad and shocked. I wrote this poem below yesterday..I share….
Reflections on a Tragic Loss
Did I know him well?
I would not be truthful to say so.
He was a colleague,
Someone I came to know.
Yet the news of his death pained my heart very much,
Thinking of the many lives he closely touched.
Still, he couldn’t see the light, the light he himself had,
Deep were his emotions, feelings too isolated and sad.
Now, as the stranger to him I was,
Should I have been better to him….
just because?
I can’t say and I do not know.
But, as I reflect I must now go,
Inside myself and continue to grow,
And care for others and more love do show.
Taking comfort in the higher power above,
And finding pleasure in nature and love.
By looking at the sun rise and the stars at night,
The ocean’s waves and all their might,
A puppy’s playing and a gracious smile,
These are the things that carry us the extra mile,
Or a lifetime, especially in the darkest moments.
For the race does not go to the swift.
Neither does bread go to the wise.
Time and unforeseen occurrence befall us all.
To use each day to the full is important, I now realize.
Knowing life is not spent or wasted in just being,
As we comfort each other,
Seeing,
The greater lesson in each experience, the things to learn
Through the tears and sorrow, we turn
To memories, to life, to faith, to hope
As with this loss we try to cope.
Paula Hines Lonergan
1/24/2010
I’m shocked and saddened. I’m EE but Physics 1bc with Andrew Lange remains my favorite class in the world…
I worked for Andrew as a postdoc for 3 years. These were good years for him and the lab, which won many proposals. Andrew won many awards, all well-deserved. He wouldn’t take credit personally. He always spread it around liberally.
He was a physicist’s physicist. By that I mean he looked at the entire world through the eyes of a physicist. He would say things like “I’ll sell my old car once the odometer reads one light second.” He teased people a lot, but always in good nature. We joked about ideas to get more research money: “Let’s name the telescope ‘Operation Enduring Experiment’ so the DoD will fund it !”.
To students and postdocs his door was always open. Whenever we could, all the postdocs tried to impress him. When he congratulated you for a good idea or told you he read one of your papers, it made your day. His talks at conferences were always to full-houses. We sought his new insights into the important problems of the field.
What I will remember most is not just his humanity, competitiveness, brilliance, or his numerous bits of ‘fatherly advice’ as he called it, but how whenever he saw me, he’d tell me about his 3 real sons’ exploits. He was fascinated by the way they saw the world…I think it appealed to the curious kid still inside of him. His office was a museum of their works of art and engineering! I’ll miss his fatherly advice greatly…My heart breaks for his boys. I hope they will find strength in his memory and from the hundreds of people whose lives were touched by their Dad.
So very sad and tragic that the world has lost such a beautiful mind.
I met Andrew in 1994-95 when I came to Caltech as a graduate student in EE and started to work with another Caltech astronomy faculty in the Robinson building. We were developing some polarization separation component and needed to use a JPL vector network analyzer. I am from one of those forbidden countries for which NASA requires 6-months advanced notice for a visit to its Labs. Somehow Andrew came to know about my predicament. He wrote a long e-mail to then JPL director Ed Stone saying that JPL should allow any and all students from Caltech to visit JPL irrespective of their country of origin, because THEY are Caltech students! After a few back and forth between him and JPL director, I was allowed to visit JPL for half a day! He need not have taken time from his busy schedule to write lengthy e-mail to JPL director for a first year Caltech EE graduate student, but he did because he was Andrew Lange!
I continued my collaboration with him and his group over the years. The spark in him was contagious. I always came back to my office with a spring in my steps after attending his group meetings. Many a mornings I would see him sitting outside bldg 168/169 at JPL engrossed in something. Invariably he would say hello and will start discussing the issues of his latest experiments in which I was involved. I am still in shock and can’t believe that he is no more! What a great loss to all of us. May his soul rest in peace now which it apparently could not when he was alive.