Herbert York
Encyclopedia
Herbert Frank York was an American nuclear physicist
. He held numerous research and administrative positions at various United States government and educational institutes.
where he received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Rochester
in 1943, and went on to obtain his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1949. During World War II
he was a physicist at the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory and at Oak Ridge, Tennessee
as part of the Manhattan Project
. He was the first director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
from 1952 to 1958. After leaving the laboratory in 1958, he held numerous positions in both government and academia, including Chief Scientist of the Advanced Research Projects Agency, and Director of Defense Research and Engineering
.
York was a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley
, Chancellor of the University of California, San Diego
(1961–1964, 1970–1972) and U.S. ambassador to the Comprehensive Test Ban negotiations in Geneva
, Switzerland
(1979–1981).
York was Director Emeritus of the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation at UC San Diego and served as chairman of the university's Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee, which oversees activities at both Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories
. He also served on the board of the Council for a Livable World
, a non partisan arms control organization in Washington, D.C. York occasionally guest lectured for the University of California San Diego and other institutions.
Herbert York died 19 May 2009 in San Diego at age 87.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
. He held numerous research and administrative positions at various United States government and educational institutes.
Biography
York was born in Rochester, New YorkRochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
where he received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
in 1943, and went on to obtain his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1949. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was a physicist at the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory and at Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
as part of the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
. He was the first director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , just outside Livermore, California, is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center founded by the University of California in 1952...
from 1952 to 1958. After leaving the laboratory in 1958, he held numerous positions in both government and academia, including Chief Scientist of the Advanced Research Projects Agency, and Director of Defense Research and Engineering
Director of Defense Research and Engineering
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering ASD is a senior official of the United States Department of Defense. The ASD and the office s/he heads are charged with the development and oversight of DoD technology strategy for the DoD. The ASD reports to the Under Secretary of...
.
York was a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, Chancellor of the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
(1961–1964, 1970–1972) and U.S. ambassador to the Comprehensive Test Ban negotiations in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(1979–1981).
York was Director Emeritus of the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation at UC San Diego and served as chairman of the university's Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee, which oversees activities at both Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
. He also served on the board of the Council for a Livable World
Council for a Livable World
Council for a Livable World is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit, advocacy organization dedicated to eliminating the U.S. arsenal of nuclear weapons...
, a non partisan arms control organization in Washington, D.C. York occasionally guest lectured for the University of California San Diego and other institutions.
Herbert York died 19 May 2009 in San Diego at age 87.
Publications
- Arms Control (Readings from Scientific American (W.H. Freeman, 1973)
- The Advisors: Oppenheimer, Teller and the Superbomb (W.H. Freeman, 1976)
- Making Weapons, Talking Peace: A Physicist's Journey from Hiroshima to Geneva (Harper & Row, 1987)
- A Shield in Space? Technology, Politics and the Strategic Defense Initiative (U.C. Press, 1988, with Sanford Lakoff)
- Arms and the Physicist (American Physical Society, 1994)