The Noyce Professor for the fall semester was Willard Talbert, a prominent physicist, who is currently Senior Consultant to the Canadian National Accelerator. Talbert has recently concluded an appointment as Senior Physicist for the Amparo Corporation and has held long-term positions at Iowa State University and at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

During the first half of the semester, Talbert taught a short course on Technology and Social Policy. This course, which was aimed at general students, considered such topics as arms control, nuclear waste management and environmental policy. During the secnd half of the semester, Talbert taught a short course on The Role of Technology in Nuclear Research. The course was primarily aimed at science students. Talbert gave a convocation lecture on Radioactive Ion Beams and the Origin of the Elements.