Retirement and $50,000.
Government Professor Roger Masters is getting both of the above this year.
He is retiring from the College this June and has just received a $50,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for his work.
But Masters, who has been a government professor at the College since 1967, said he is retiring in name only -- he plans to stick around and teach a few more classes.
"I am 65 in June, and at 65, one should retire so that there are some places for younger scholars to get jobs," Masters said.
Masters and his colleague, Myron Coplan, a retired chemical engineer and principal of a Massachusetts consulting firm, received the $50,000 grant for research one would not immediately link to government professors.
The grant is for a one-year study of the chemicals used in water treatment, their impact on the nervous system's absorption of lead and the behavioral effects of lead toxicity on children.
The College will also provide about $80,000 for the research project.
"We think we have found things in the fluoride content of water supplies that decreases children's learning ability," Masters explained.
Masters' and Coplan's study will use data collected from various government agencies about the level of lead in children's blood as well as pollution, crime and learning disabilities statistics. The geographical variations in children's blood lead levels might then be used to explain why some areas have high rates of crime or educational failure.
A contagious man
Masters has studied topics incomprehensible to many students, but that does not mean students have trouble relating to him. In fact, he often involves students in his research.
"I have published more papers co-authored with students than anyone I have heard of," he said.
Anil Doshi '98 said he enjoyed working with Masters on the paper, "Environmental Pollution, Neurotoxicity and Criminal Violence." This paper reported that the presence of lead and manganese-releasing factories can predict higher crime rates.
"Professor Masters's brilliance and enthusiasm are contagious," Doshi said. "He is a living reminder of the next level of genius and innovative thought."
Doshi said his work with Masters was his best intellectual experience at the College.
Masters influences students in the classroom as well.
Kerry Bystrom '99 said she was so inspired after taking his Government 6: Political Ideas class, she decided to become a government major. She said that Masters is a fascinating lecturer with a unique way of presenting information.
In addition, his understanding of student psychology makes him more effective as a professor and enhances his lectures, she said.
Bystrom is currently working with Masters on the EPA-sponsored research project and said she considers Masters the smartest person she has ever met.
Government major Jonah Sonnenborn '98 said, "Masters is not your basic government professor because he is interested in everything and can talk to you about anything."
From pollution to da Vinci
One could say Masters has studied everything under the sun. He said he considers himself an eccentric person who likes to do crazy things all at once.
He has researched topics in evolutionary biology, human social behavior and the law. He said he is particularly interested in the "profound difference between ancient and modern thought."
His most recent book, "Fortune is a River: Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli's Magnificent Dream to Change the Course of Florentine History," examines da Vinci and Machiavelli's joint efforts to make Florence a seaport. It was a selection of the Book of the Month Club and History Book Club.
In addition, Masters has linked his expertise in political philosophy to human biology.
For example, he conducted an experiment that examined how voters are affected by the facial expressions of politicians. He had voters watch a television broadcast of the 1996 Bill Clinton-Bob Dole debates without sound to see how their votes would be affected.
Masters said he is interested in sides of politics that are not heavily focused on in today's world. He believes public polls to be just simply "fluff."
Masters received his B.A. from Harvard University and served in the U.S. Army before going on to earn his M.A. for political philosophy from the University of Chicago in 1958.
In 1961, he wrote his doctoral dissertation on the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Masters said his interest in comparing Rosseau's 1765 works about human evolution to the knowledge we have today accounts for the array of research he is currently involved in.
Masters said he has never regretted his decision to come to Dartmouth instead of continuing at Yale, where he already had tenure.
However, he said he is often frustrated by the difficulties of getting money or having graduate students to assist his research.
After retiring, he will continue his work as chair of the Gruter Institute for Law and Behavioral Research, a nonprofit educational foundation in Portola Valley, Calif., devoted to the study of evolutionary biology, human social behavior and law.
This summer, Masters is attending six conferences, including the 22nd Fluoride Conference and the Behavior and Evolution Conference.
A panel discussion will Masters's scholarly career this afternoon at 3:30 in the Hinman Forum in Rockefeller Center.
