Fred Singer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
S. Fred Singer
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Singer in 2011
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| Born | September 27, 1924 |
| Died | April 6, 2020 (aged 95) Rockville, Maryland, U.S.
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| Nationality | Austrian, American |
| Alma mater | Ohio State University, Princeton University |
| Occupation | Physicist |
| Organization | Professor emeritus of environmental science, University of Virginia Founder and president, Science & Environmental Policy Project |
| Known for | Early space research; first director of the U.S. National Weather Satellite Service (1962–1964); involvement in global warming controversy |
Siegfried Fred Singer (September 27, 1924 – April 6, 2020) was an American physicist. He was born in Austria. He became a professor of environmental science at the University of Virginia.
Singer was a key person in early space research. He helped develop earth observation satellites. From 1962 to 1964, he was the first director of the U.S. National Weather Satellite Service. He also held several government jobs.
He wrote or edited many books. Some of his books include Global Effects of Environmental Pollution and Hot Talk, Cold Science. He also co-authored Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years.
Singer was known for having different ideas on some scientific topics. For example, he questioned the main scientific view on climate change. He argued that human actions were not the main cause of global warming.
Contents
Early Life and School
Singer was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1924. His family was Jewish. In 1938, when Nazi Germany took over Austria, his family had to leave. Fred Singer traveled to England on a special train for Jewish children.
He lived in England for a few years. Then, he moved to Ohio in the United States. He became an American citizen in 1944. He earned his first degree from Ohio State University in 1943. He then studied physics at Princeton University. He received his Ph.D. in physics from Princeton in 1948.
Career Highlights
Singer had a very diverse career. He worked in the military, for the government, and in universities.
From 1944 to 1946, Singer worked for the United States Navy. He helped design mines during World War II. He also worked on an early electronic digital calculator.
After the Navy, he joined the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He studied the ozone layer, cosmic rays, and the ionosphere. He used balloons and rockets for his research. He even launched rockets from ships in the Arctic and at the equator.
From 1950 to 1953, he worked at the U.S. Embassy in London. He studied research programs in Europe. He also spoke at an international meeting about space flight. At that time, many scientists thought space travel was just science fiction.
Designing Early Satellites
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In the early 1950s, Singer was one of the first scientists to suggest launching satellites. He believed satellites could help with scientific observations of Earth. In 1951 or 1952, he proposed a satellite called MOUSE. This stood for "Minimal Orbital Unmanned Satellite, Earth."
MOUSE was designed to be about 100 pounds. It would carry tools to measure cosmic rays and scan the Earth. It would also send data back to Earth using telemetry. MOUSE never flew, but Singer's ideas were important. Some people later said that if his ideas had been followed, the U.S. might have launched the first satellite before Russia.
University and Government Roles
In 1953, Singer became a physics professor at the University of Maryland. He also directed the Center for Atmospheric and Space Physics. He worked on experiments with rockets and satellites. He even developed a new way to launch rockets from high-flying planes.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower honored Singer twice for his work. Once in 1954 and again in 1958. In 1958, he also became a consultant for a committee. This committee was preparing for a new agency to handle space research, which became NASA.
In 1962, Singer took a leave from the university. He became the first director of meteorological satellite services. This was for the National Weather Satellite Center. He led a program that used satellites to help forecast the weather. He received a special award for his service.
In 1964, he became the first dean of the School of Environmental and Planetary Sciences at the University of Miami. This was the first school of its kind in the country. It focused on space-age research.
Later, he held positions in the U.S. government. He worked for the United States Department of the Interior and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He also served as chief scientist for the United States Department of Transportation.
From 1971 to 1994, Singer was a professor at the University of Virginia. He taught about environmental topics. These included ozone depletion, acid rain, and climate change. After retiring from Virginia, he taught at George Mason University until 2000.
Public Discussions
Singer often wrote articles for newspapers like The New York Times. He sometimes shared views that were different from common beliefs. He believed that market principles could help protect the environment.
He also debated astronomer Carl Sagan on TV. They discussed the possible environmental effects of the Kuwaiti oil fires. Singer thought the smoke would not cause a big global effect.
Views on Climate Change
Singer was a strong voice in the debate about global warming. In 1990, he started the Science & Environmental Policy Project (SEPP). This group aimed to question some ideas about climate change.
He argued that there was no clear proof that human-caused increases in carbon dioxide were causing global warming. He also suggested that a warmer climate might even be good for people. He pointed out that Earth's temperature has always changed naturally.
Singer's views were different from the main scientific agreement on climate change. Most scientists agree that human activities are causing global warming. They also link carbon dioxide levels to rising temperatures.
Singer often criticized the climate models used to predict global warming. He said they were not always accurate. In 2004, he helped create the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC). This group aimed to offer a different look at climate change evidence.
Death
S. Fred Singer passed away on April 6, 2020. He was in a nursing home in Rockville, Maryland.
Selected Publications
- Global Effects of Environmental Pollution (Reidel, 1970)
- The Ocean in Human Affairs (Paragon House, 1989)
- Global Climate Change: Human and Natural Influences (Paragon House, 1989)
- Hot Talk, Cold Science: Global Warming's Unfinished Debate (The Independent Institute, 1997)
- with Dennis Avery. Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1500 Years (Rowman & Littlefield, 2007)
- with Craig Idso. Climate Change Reconsidered: 2009 Report of the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) (2009).
Images for kids
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Singer in 2011
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Singer's MOUSE satellite, which he designed in the early 1950s.
See Also
In Spanish: Frederick Singer para niños
- Fringe science
- Second-hand smoke
