Richard Garwin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Garwin
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Garwin in 2011
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| Born |
Richard Lawrence Garwin
April 19, 1928 |
| Died | May 13, 2025 (aged 97) Scarsdale, New York, U.S.
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| Alma mater |
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| Spouse(s) |
Lois Levy
(m. 1947; died 2018) |
| Children | 3, including Laura |
| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | An experimental investigation of the beta-gamma angular correlation in beta decay (1949) |
| Doctoral advisor | Enrico Fermi |
| Doctoral students | Myriam Sarachik |
Richard Lawrence Garwin (April 19, 1928 – May 13, 2025) was a brilliant American scientist and government advisor. He is famous for designing the first hydrogen bomb.
He was recognized for using science to help national security and economic growth. In 2015, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is one of the highest honors a civilian can get in the United States.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Richard Garwin was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 19, 1928. He came from a Jewish family.
He earned his first college degree from the Case Institute of Technology in 1947. Just two years later, at age 21, he received his PhD in physics. He studied at the University of Chicago under the famous scientist Enrico Fermi. Fermi reportedly called Garwin "the only true genius he had ever met."
Amazing Career and Discoveries
After finishing his studies, Garwin became a physics teacher at the University of Chicago. During summers, he worked as a consultant at Los Alamos National Laboratory. There, he helped develop nuclear weapons.
Designing the Hydrogen Bomb
Richard Garwin was the person who created the actual design for the first hydrogen bomb. This bomb was code-named "Mike" and was tested in 1952. Edward Teller, another important scientist, gave him this important task. Teller asked Garwin to make the design as simple as possible to prove that the idea could work.
Other Important Inventions
Garwin worked on many other groundbreaking projects. He helped develop the first spy satellites. Because of this, he is known as one of the ten founders of national reconnaissance.
While working at IBM, his research on magnetic resonance helped create the foundation for MRI. MRI is a way doctors can see inside the human body. He also played a key role in developing laser printers and touch-screen monitors. He even worked on ideas about gravitational waves.
Throughout his career, Richard Garwin was granted 47 patents. He also published over 500 scientific papers.
Work at IBM and Universities
In December 1952, Garwin joined IBM's Watson laboratory. He worked there until he retired in 1993. He was an IBM Fellow Emeritus at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center.
He divided his time between practical research, basic science, and advising the U.S. Government. He advised on matters of national security. He also taught physics at several universities, including Columbia University, Cornell University, and Harvard University.
Government Advisor Roles
Garwin served on the President's Science Advisory Committee from 1962 to 1965 and again from 1969 to 1972. He advised Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon.
He was also a member of the JASON Defense Advisory Group starting in 1966. This group was made up of U.S. university scientists. In 1968, Garwin traveled to Vietnam to check on an "electronic barrier" system. He and other scientists had developed this system for the Pentagon.
During the 1980s and 1990s, he suggested ideas for anti-ballistic missile defenses. One idea was called the "bed of nails defense," but it was never built.
From 1993 to 2001, he led the Arms Control and Nonproliferation Advisory Board for the United States Department of State. He also served on many other important committees.
Personal Life
In 1947, Richard Garwin married Lois Levy. They were married until Lois passed away in 2018. They had three children together. One of their children is the musician and journalist Laura Garwin.
Richard Garwin passed away at his home in Scarsdale, New York, on May 13, 2025. He was 97 years old.
Awards and Recognition
Richard Garwin received many important awards for his work.
Top U.S. Science Honor
He received the National Medal of Science in 2002. This is the highest honor for science and engineering in the United States. He earned it for his discoveries in physics and for giving valuable scientific advice to the nation for over 50 years.
International Recognition
He also received the Grande Médaille de l'Académie des Sciences from France. This award recognized his role in discovering "parity violation" in pion decay, a complex physics concept.
Membership in Academies
Garwin was one of the few scientists elected to all three major U.S. National Academies. These include the National Academy of Sciences (1966), the National Academy of Medicine (1975), and the National Academy of Engineering (1978). He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
In 2016, President Barack Obama honored Garwin with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He also received the AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility in 1988 and the Golden Plate Award in 1997.
See also
- Accelerator-driven subcritical reactor
- Energy amplifier
- Megawatts and Megatons
