Kennedy J. Reed facts for kids

Kennedy J. Reed (May 24, 1944 – June 20, 2023) was an amazing American scientist. He was a physicist who studied atoms. He worked at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

Dr. Reed also helped start the National Physical Science Consortium (NPSC). This group helps women and minority students get scholarships for physics. He wanted more people to study science!

He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska. He also taught physics at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Reed was famous for his work on how atoms crash into each other in very hot gases, called plasmas. He wrote over 100 scientific papers.

Dr. Reed cared a lot about helping students. He helped over 100 minority and female students earn their science degrees. Through the NPSC, he gave out more than 300 graduate scholarships.

Early Life and Education

Kennedy J. Reed was born on May 24, 1944. His hometown was Memphis, Tennessee. His parents were Earl Reed Sr. and Tula B. Reed. He grew up with five brothers and sisters.

Later, his family moved to Chicago, Illinois. He lived in the Ida B. Wells public housing area. He went to James R. Doolittle Jr. Grammar School. He then graduated from Tilden Technical High School.

College Studies

In 1967, Reed earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. He got this degree from Monmouth College. He kept studying and got a Master of Science in Teaching in Physics. This was from the University of Wisconsin-Superior in 1971.

He then earned his Ph.D. in 1976. His Ph.D. was in theoretical atomic physics. He completed this at the University of Nebraska.

His Science Career

After getting his Ph.D., Dr. Reed started teaching. He taught physics at Morehouse College. He taught there until 1980.

Then, he joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). He became a top scientist there. He studied how atoms behave.

Helping Science Around the World

Dr. Reed worked to improve physics research and education in Africa. He also helped scientists from Africa and African American scientists work together.

• In 1997 and 1999, he visited universities in Africa. He was a visiting scientist at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal. He also visited the University of Cape Coast in Ghana.
• He gave many talks at other African universities.
• He helped set up many international science meetings related to Africa.

Dr. Reed also visited other famous science places. He was a visiting scientist at the Hahn-Meitner Institute in Germany. He also visited the University College London in the United Kingdom.

He helped African physicists visit the U.S. He set up meetings for them at universities. He also arranged high-level meetings in Washington, D.C. They met with groups like the National Science Foundation.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Reed received many important awards for his work.

• In 2003, he won the John Wheatley Award. This award is from the American Physical Society.
• In 2009, he received a special award from President Barack Obama. It was the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. This award honors people who are great mentors in science.

He was also a fellow of the American Physical Society. This means he was recognized as a top physicist. In 2011, he became a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

From 2017 to 2019, he was the president of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP). He also helped lead the National Academy of Sciences Board on International Scientific Organizations. He was a founder and president of the National Society of Black Physicists.

Kennedy Reed Award

There is an award named after Kennedy Reed! It's called the Kennedy Reed Award for Best Theoretical Research. The APS Farwest section created it. This award recognizes the best theoretical physics research. It is given to a graduate student at their yearly meeting.