From Earth to the Stars

NASA engineer and Finance entrepreneur David Brown has big dreams for KITP

“Going where no one’s gone before is fun,” said David Brown. He could be talking about putting a man on the moon… or about the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, the first-of-its-kind research phenomenon that he champions. David’s support of the KITP endowment helps theorists in physics and allied fields collaborate on the questions that arise from investigations at the leading edges of science.  

David knows a leading edge when he sees one. When he entered the University of Pittsburgh computer science program in 1959, there were not many like it in the country. He was a student when the university received a grant to create lab simulations, an opportunity that David seized with excitement. NASA hired him right out of school. Fifty years ago, mentored by Carl Sagan, David helped build the models that put the first man on the moon.  

Today, a cell phone has more power than the entire room full of computers that David used to model the lunar landing at NASA. He would daydream about hundred kilobyte chips; now, he marvels at terabyte chips with mind-blowing speed. For David, KITP captures the thrill of learning to build things we have never before seen.  



"I know what it takes to do great things: you need lots of great people with the time to get to know each other,"



“From my background in the space program, I know what it takes to do great things: you need lots of great people with the time to get to know each other,” said David. “KITP has Nobel Prize winners; one of the greatest residence halls in the world funded by a famous fellow and good man, Charlie Munger; and tremendous scientists from across the globe.”  

At KITP, where even casual encounters lead to new ideas, scientists advance our understanding of the world. David prioritizes science funding because of his strong belief that knowing how things work will enable us to survive as a species. From his childhood lessons in a one-room schoolhouse to his lifelong pursuit of knowledge, David believes in the power of education. He and his late wife, Carolyn, have helped to make education possible by funding college scholarships in their hometown. When former KITP Director David Gross foresaw the importance of an endowment 20 years ago, David and Carolyn were proud to support the pursuit of knowledge as early and steadfast donors and are also founding members of the KITP Legacy Society.  

“If KITP was good enough for Stephen Hawking, it’s good enough for me,” he said with a laugh. “If you’re serious about the science being done here — if you care — you should donate and be a part of it.”  

Through his work at NASA, his work-in-progress novels, and his support of KITP, David hopes to reach people all over the world with the power of science.      

 


KITP 2020 Impact Report