Frederick Seitz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Frederick Seitz
4th President of the Rockefeller University
In office 1968–1978
Preceded by	Detlev Bronk
Succeeded by	Joshua Lederberg
17th President of the National Academy of Sciences
In office 1962–1969
Preceded by	Detlev Bronk
Succeeded by	Philip Handler
Personal details
Born	(1911-07-04)July 4, 1911 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	March 2, 2008(2008-03-02) (aged 96) New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Lick-Wilmerding High School, Stanford University, Princeton University
Known for	Wigner–Seitz unit cell
Awards	National Medal of Science (1973) Vannevar Bush Award (1983)
Scientific career
Fields	Physics
Institutions	University of Illinois Rockefeller University
Thesis	A matrix-algebraic development of the crystallographic groups (1934)
Doctoral advisor	Eugene Wigner
Doctoral students	Franco Bassani Ronald Fuchs Jack Goldman Walter A. Harrison [de] James Stark Koehler

Frederick Seitz (born July 4, 1911 – died March 2, 2008) was an American scientist. He was a very important physicist who helped create the field of solid-state physics. This area of physics studies how solid materials behave.

Seitz was the president of two major scientific organizations. He led Rockefeller University from 1968 to 1978. He also served as the president of the United States National Academy of Sciences from 1962 to 1969. He received many awards, including the National Medal of Science. He also helped start several important research labs, like the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory. Later in his life, he became known for his views on climate change, which were different from what most scientists believed.

Early Life and Education

Frederick Seitz was born in San Francisco, California, on July 4, 1911. He was a very bright student. He finished high school early and went to Stanford University. There, he studied physics and earned his bachelor's degree in just three years, graduating in 1932.

He later married Elizabeth K. Marshall in 1935. Frederick Seitz passed away on March 2, 2008, in New York City. He was 96 years old.

Discoveries in Physics

This picture shows how a Wigner–Seitz unit cell is built.

After Stanford, Seitz went to Princeton University to get his PhD. He studied metals with his professor, Eugene Wigner. Together, they made big discoveries in how crystals are structured. They created one of the first quantum theories for crystals.

They also developed an idea called the Wigner–Seitz unit cell. This is a special way to look at the smallest repeating part of a crystal. It helps scientists understand how materials like metals are put together.

A Career in Academia

After finishing his studies, Seitz kept working on solid-state physics. In 1940, he wrote an important book called The Modern Theory of Solids. He wanted to bring together all the different ideas about solid-state physics. This book helped connect fields like metallurgy (the study of metals), ceramics, and electronics.

During World War II, Seitz helped with many science projects related to the war. For example, he worked on how materials could be damaged by radiation. He also studied how tiny flaws, called point defects, affect metals. His research covered many topics, from how light interacts with materials (spectroscopy) to how materials bend and break (plastic deformation).

Seitz taught at several universities, including the University of Rochester and the University of Pennsylvania. From 1942 to 1949, he was at the Carnegie Institute of Technology.

In 1949, he became a physics professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He later became the head of the physics department and then a dean. He also advised NATO, a group of countries working together for peace.

From 1962 to 1969, Seitz was the president of the National Academy of Sciences. This is a very important group of scientists in the United States. As president, he helped create the Universities Research Association. This group worked with the government to build Fermilab, which was the biggest particle accelerator in the world at that time.

From 1968 to 1978, Seitz was the president of Rockefeller University. He helped start new research programs there in areas like molecular biology and neuroscience. He retired from Rockefeller University in 1979.

Later Career and Controversies

After leaving Rockefeller University, Frederick Seitz became involved in different areas. He worked as a consultant for the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for several years. He advised them on their medical research programs.

In 1984, Seitz helped start the George C. Marshall Institute. This organization was first created to support a defense plan called the Strategic Defense Initiative. However, in the 1990s, it started to question the science behind climate change.

Seitz and others at the Institute wrote papers that suggested the science on climate change was not settled. For example, in 1994, Seitz wrote a paper that questioned if CFCs were the biggest threat to the ozone layer. He also stated that there was no strong scientific proof that breathing in tobacco smoke from others (passive smoking) was truly dangerous.

Frederick Seitz was a key figure among those who doubted that global warming was a serious problem. He argued that the science was not clear enough to make big changes to limit greenhouse-gas emissions. In 2001, he and another scientist questioned if humans were causing global warming.

Seitz also signed a document called the Leipzig Declaration in 1995. He invited other scientists to sign the Oregon Petition, which asked the United States to reject an international agreement called the Kyoto Protocol. This petition included an article that looked like it was from a scientific journal. However, the National Academy of Sciences later said that the petition did not reflect the views of expert scientists. They also pointed out that the article was not a real publication from their academy.

Books and Publications

Frederick Seitz wrote many scientific books. These include The Modern Theory of Solids (1940) and The Physics of Metals (1943). He also helped edit a long-running series of books called Solid State Physics, which reached 60 volumes.

After he retired, he co-authored a book about global warming. He also wrote his autobiography in 1994. Besides science, he wrote biographies of other scientists and a history of silicon.

Criticism and Scientific Debate

Frederick Seitz faced some criticism during his career. In the 1970s, he supported the Vietnam War, which many of his fellow scientists did not agree with. He also had different views on nuclear weapons, believing in a strong military with advanced weapons. He was very against communism, and his support for these programs came from that belief.

Science historians Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway wrote a book called Merchants of Doubt. They said that Seitz and other scientists tried to create confusion about scientific evidence. This included topics like the dangers of tobacco smoke, acid rain, and global warming. Seitz believed that American science had become too rigid and that his colleagues were not open to new ideas. Oreskes and Conway argued that he used the normal uncertainties in science to make people doubt the dangers of tobacco smoke.

Seitz was also a main organizer of the Oregon Petition. This petition claimed there was no proof that greenhouse gases caused global warming. Even though Seitz was a former president of the National Academy of Sciences, the Academy released a statement. They said the petition was an attempt to mislead scientists and undermine support for the Kyoto Protocol. They also said the petition was not based on a real review of climate science. Journalists later found that many of the people who signed the petition could not be verified.

Oreskes and Conway also criticized Seitz for his work with the tobacco industry. They believed he went against the scientific agreement that smoking was harmful. They said he helped create doubt about this important health issue.

Awards and Honors

Frederick Seitz was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1952. He served as its President from 1962 to 1969.

He received many important awards, including:

• The Franklin Medal (1965)
• The National Medal of Science (1973) for his work on solid-state physics.
• The United States Department of Defense Distinguished Service Award.
• NASA's Distinguished Public Service Award.
• The Compton Award, which is the highest honor from the American Institute of Physics.

Besides these, 31 universities around the world gave him honorary degrees. He was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Seitz served on the boards of many charitable groups. He was the chairman of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. He was also a trustee for the American Museum of Natural History. In 1981, he became a founding member of the World Cultural Council.

Positions Held

Academic Roles

• Carnegie Tech, Head of the physics department (1946–?)
• University of Illinois, Professor of physics (1949–1964)
• American Institute of Physics, Chairman (1954–1959)
• American Physical Society, Chairman (1961)
• United States National Academy of Sciences, President (1962–1969)
• Rockefeller University, President Emeritus (1968–1978)

Other Roles

• George C. Marshall Institute, Co-founder, Chairman (1984–2001)
• Richard Lounsbery Foundation, President (1995–1997), Chairman (since 1998)

See also

In Spanish: Frederick Seitz para niños

• Wigner–Seitz radius
• Wigner–Seitz cell