Walter E. Massey facts for kids

Walter Eugene Massey (born April 5, 1938) is an American educator, physicist, and leader. He has been the President of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and Morehouse College. He also leads the board for building the Giant Magellan Telescope.

Throughout his career, Massey has held many important roles. He was the head of the National Science Foundation and director of Argonne National Laboratory. He also chaired the board of Bank of America. He has taught and worked at top universities like the University of California and University of Chicago.

Massey grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, during a time of unfair laws called Jim Crow. He became very interested in math. He went to Morehouse College, a historically Black college. Later, he earned his PhD in physics from Washington University in St. Louis.

He worked at Argonne National Laboratory and taught at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. There, he supported African-American students during the Civil Rights Movement. He later became a professor at Brown University and then returned to lead Argonne.

Massey also became a leader at the University of California. He then went back to Morehouse College to be its president. After retiring from Morehouse, he led the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has served on many important boards, including for Bank of America during a big change. He was also asked to lead the Giant Magellan Telescope project.

Walter Massey is the only person to have been President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Chair of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD). He has also received special awards for his work in science and humanities. He is a member of important groups like the American Philosophical Society.

Early Life and Education

Walter E. Massey was born on April 5, 1938, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. As a child, he showed a great talent for mathematics. In high school, he earned a special scholarship from the Ford Foundation to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

At Morehouse, he started studying theoretical physics. He chose this field partly because it offered a way to rise above the unfair treatment he saw growing up in the segregated South. Massey earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1958.

Mentors were very important in Massey's life. At Morehouse, a physics teacher named Sabinus H. Christensen helped him a lot. Christensen's guidance helped Massey succeed in physics and math. Later, he continued his physics studies with Eugene Feenberg at Washington University in St. Louis.

In 1966, while finishing his PhD, Massey began working at Argonne National Laboratory. This lab is run by the University of Chicago for the U.S. Department of Energy. At Argonne, Massey studied how many particles interact in liquids and solids. He also researched liquid and solid helium. Two years later, he became a professor at the University of Illinois.

Career Highlights

Academics and Early Advocacy

At the University of Illinois, Massey continued his research. He also worked hard for fairness and equal access to science education. On his first night there, many Black students were arrested for protesting unfair treatment. This led him to become an advisor for the Black Students Association. He also became the first chairman of the Black Faculty and Staff Association.

Massey noticed that many Black students needed more help with math and science. This made him want to improve science teaching in high schools.

In 1970, Massey became a professor at Brown University. There, he did important research with Humphrey Maris on sound waves in superfluid helium. By 1975, he was a full professor and dean of the college.

At Brown, Massey also worked to support diversity in science. He created a program called Inner City Teachers of Science (INCTOS). This program had Brown students mentor high school science classes in cities. His work earned him an award from the American Association of Physics Teachers in 1975.

In 1979, Massey's success as a researcher and leader led him back to Argonne National Laboratory. This time, he became its director. He also became a physics professor at the University of Chicago.

Leading Argonne National Laboratory

Massey (left) meeting with President Jimmy Carter on February 28, 1980

As director of Argonne, Massey managed a large budget and nearly four thousand staff members. National laboratories at the time were not well understood by the public. Their work was not always used by businesses.

Massey worked to fix these issues. In the early 1980s, he changed how the lab was run, giving scientists more say. He also helped create ARCH. This group helped move new technologies from the lab to businesses. Massey also supported nuclear energy programs and helped get funding for big research facilities. These included the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) and the Advanced Photon Source (APS).

While at Argonne, Massey continued to promote science education. He led a task force on high-tech development in Chicago. He also helped start the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. This was one of the first high schools in the nation focused on science and math. He also helped train almost 17,000 Chicago public school teachers in these subjects.

National Science Foundation

In 1989, Massey served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1990, Walter Massey was appointed director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) by President George H. W. Bush. The NSF is a U.S. government agency that supports science and engineering research.

In this role, Massey started important projects. He worked to connect universities and businesses more closely. He also created a new group for social and economic sciences. He strongly supported basic research and science education. He focused on giving grants to universities and improving science education before college. He also worked to get more women and minority groups into science careers.

In February 2016, scientists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) observed gravitational waves. This confirmed Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. Dr. France Cordova, the current NSF director, said Massey was key to getting approval and funding for LIGO almost 25 years earlier. Massey was invited to the Nobel Prize in Physics ceremony by a LIGO scientist.

Other Science Policy Roles

Massey has been involved in many other science organizations. In 1987, he became president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This group has over 140,000 members. He was the first African American to hold this position. He used this role to highlight problems in science education across the country.

Under Massey's leadership, the AAAS worked to improve science education for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. They sponsored Project 2061, which aimed to create new science lessons. Massey wanted to help the U.S. stay competitive in the world economy. He also wanted to prepare the nation for health and environmental challenges.

Massey has also served on many other science boards. He was vice president of the American Physical Society. He also advised two U.S. presidents on science and technology. He served on the National Science Board and boards for oceanographic and marine biology institutes.

Massey's work in science goes beyond the U.S. He helped plan science programs with the Soviet Academy of Sciences. He also worked to improve science and engineering in Africa. He was a founding member of the African Academy of Sciences. Massey also founded the National Society of Black Physicists. This group helps Black physicists and encourages more African Americans to study physics.

Return to Academia

After his time at the NSF, Massey became a leader at the University of California system in 1993. This is one of the largest university systems in the U.S. He oversaw academic matters at its nine campuses and three national laboratories.

In 1995, he became president of his old college, Morehouse College. As president, Massey worked to improve the campus, update the courses, and raise money for the college. He retired from Morehouse in 2007.

From 2010, Massey led the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This is a top school for art and design. He also chaired the board for the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. In 2016, he became chancellor of SAIC. That same year, he also became chairman of the board for the Giant Magellan Telescope project in Chile. In 2017, Massey was named chairman of the board for the City Colleges of Chicago.

Business and Community Work

Besides his work in science and education, Massey has served on the boards of many large companies. These include McDonald's, Bank of America, BP, and Motorola. He was chairman of the board for Bank of America in 2009.

He has also served on the boards of many groups that help communities. These include the Mellon Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Awards and Honors

Walter Massey has received 41 honorary degrees during his career.

He received an award from the American Association of Physics Teachers for his great work in teaching physics. He was also part of a group that suggested ways to improve science and math teaching in the U.S.

In 1987, Massey received the Order of Lincoln. This is the highest honor in the State of Illinois. In 1992, he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. In 1999, the Georgia State Senate praised him for his work as President of Morehouse College.

In May 2016, Massey received the Public Humanities Award from Illinois Humanities. This award honors people who use humanities to improve lives and communities. In 2012, he received the Enrico Fermi Award for science and technology from the Chicago Historical Society.

Massey was a member of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.