Knowledge without frontiers Knowledge Without Frontiers | Page 62

The frontage of the Jožef Stefan Institute building in 1955. Jožef Stefan Institute.
STEFAN FOR EVER
Stefan’s name will go down in history by vir-
tue of the Stefan constant σ (also known as the
Stefan-Boltzmann constant), which is also sty-
lised in the logo of Slovenia’s largest research
institution, the “Jožef Stefan” Institute. The pro-
posal to name the Institute after Stefan was put
forward by Anton Peterlin with the argument
that Stefan was the most visible Slovenian physi-
cist of world renown.
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“Slovenians begrudge anyone who has a ta-
lent for the natural sciences. Take Jožef Ste-
fan. He was persecuted in Carinthia for so
long that he became German. Our smallness
is backfiring badly.” (Anton Peterlin)