Ernest Lawrence, American Physicist

Ernest Lawrence, American Physicist

Lawrence atop the hill above his greatest achievement - the construction and operation of the 184 inch cyclotron. The same historic dome now houses the Advanced Light Source. Ernest Orlando Lawrence (August 8, 1901 - August 27, 1958) was an American physicist and Nobel Laureate, known for his invention, utilization, and improvement of the cyclotron atom-smasher beginning in 1929, based on his studies of the works of Rolf Wideroe, and his later work in uranium-isotope separation for the Manhattan Project. Lawrence had a long career at the University of California, Berkeley, where he became a Professor of Physics. In 1939, Lawrence was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in inventing the cyclotron and developing its applications. After the war, Lawrence campaigned extensively for government sponsorship of large scientific programs. Lawrence was a forceful advocate of "Big Science" with its requirements for big machines and big money. He'd died in 1958 at the age of 57. After his death, the Regents of the University of California voted to rename two of the university's nuclear research sites after Lawrence: the Lawrence Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories. Chemical element number 103, discovered at LBNL in 1961, is named "lawrencium" in his honor.

Album / LBNL/Science Source

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