Melvin A. Cook
Encyclopedia
Melvin Alonzo Cook was a noted American chemist
. He was most known from his work in the research and development of explosives, including the development of shaped charge
s and slurry explosives. Cook was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
to Alonzo Laker Cook and Maude Osmon. He received a Master of Arts
from the University of Utah
in 1934 and a Ph.D.
in Physical Chemistry
from Yale University
in 1937. He served as President of IRECO Chemicals (later acquired by Dyno Nobel
). He also served in higher education as a Professor of Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah. He died on October 12, 2000.
, is a Utah
politician who served as a U.S. Representative from 1997 to 2001.
is considered the worst industrial accident in United States history. In December 1956 he created a new blasting agent using a mixture of ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder, and fuel oil: a most unusual mixture. This explosive, the first of the so-called "slurry explosives," was remarkably safe. He did consulting work for the Iron Ore Company of Canada, where the aluminized ammonium nitrate slurry explosive (with water) he developed was successfully used. His work on slurry explosives paved the way for the development of the BLU-82
, nicknamed the "Daisy Cutter" (because of its use in Vietnam to clear helicopter landing zones), one of the largest and most powerful conventional bombs in the U.S. military inventory, using aluminized slurry.
in 1968, only the second time the award had been given (and which has been awarded only once since). This award has sometimes been confused with the Nobel Prize
conferred by the Nobel Foundation, but although it is given by the successor explosives company founded by Alfred Nobel
, Nitro-Nobel AB (now a part of Dyno Nobel), it is not of the same stature or importance as the Nobel Prize. Although it has been claimed that Cook was at one time a Nobel Prize nominee, he was never nominated.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
. He was most known from his work in the research and development of explosives, including the development of shaped charge
Shaped charge
A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Various types are used to cut and form metal, to initiate nuclear weapons, to penetrate armor, and in the oil and gas industry...
s and slurry explosives. Cook was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Biography
He was born on October 10, 1911 in Garden City, UtahGarden City, Utah
Garden City is a town in Rich County, Utah, United States. The population was 562 at the 2010 census. Garden City sits on the shores of Bear Lake and is a popular summer resort destination town.-History:...
to Alonzo Laker Cook and Maude Osmon. He received a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in 1934 and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Physical Chemistry
Physical chemistry
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic, atomic, subatomic, and particulate phenomena in chemical systems in terms of physical laws and concepts...
from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1937. He served as President of IRECO Chemicals (later acquired by Dyno Nobel
Dyno Nobel
Dyno Nobel is a major manufacturer of explosives. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Incitec Pivot Limited, and its customers include users in the mining, quarry, construction, pipeline and geophysical exploration industries...
). He also served in higher education as a Professor of Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah. He died on October 12, 2000.
Legacy
His son, Merrill CookMerrill Cook
Merrill Cook was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Utah.Cook, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from East High School in 1964 and the University...
, is a Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
politician who served as a U.S. Representative from 1997 to 2001.
Explosives
Melvin A. Cook's 50+ year career in both the theoretical and practical aspects of the field of explosives spans some remarkable achievements. As an expert in explosives, Melvin was an investigator of the 1947 fertilizer explosion in Texas City, Texas. The Texas City DisasterTexas City Disaster
The Texas City Disaster was the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history. The incident took place on April 16, 1947, and began with a mid-morning fire on board the French-registered vessel SS Grandcamp which was docked in the Port of Texas City...
is considered the worst industrial accident in United States history. In December 1956 he created a new blasting agent using a mixture of ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder, and fuel oil: a most unusual mixture. This explosive, the first of the so-called "slurry explosives," was remarkably safe. He did consulting work for the Iron Ore Company of Canada, where the aluminized ammonium nitrate slurry explosive (with water) he developed was successfully used. His work on slurry explosives paved the way for the development of the BLU-82
BLU-82
The BLU-82B/C-130 weapon system, known under program "Commando Vault" and nicknamed "daisy cutter" in Vietnam and in Afghanistan for its ability to flatten a forest into a helicopter landing zone, is a 15,000 pound conventional bomb, delivered from either a C-130 or an MC-130 transport aircraft....
, nicknamed the "Daisy Cutter" (because of its use in Vietnam to clear helicopter landing zones), one of the largest and most powerful conventional bombs in the U.S. military inventory, using aluminized slurry.
Awards and recognitions
For his work in discovering slurry explosives, Cook received a Nitro Nobel Gold MedalNitro Nobel Gold Medal
The Nitro Nobel Gold Medal is an explosives industry award given by the Nitro Nobel Company of Sweden . The medal is gold, and features the same obverse as the Nobel Prize, but a different reverse. The medal has sometimes been confused with the Nobel Prize, with which it shares some history.The...
in 1968, only the second time the award had been given (and which has been awarded only once since). This award has sometimes been confused with the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
conferred by the Nobel Foundation, but although it is given by the successor explosives company founded by Alfred Nobel
Alfred Nobel
Alfred Bernhard Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, and armaments manufacturer. He is the inventor of dynamite. Nobel also owned Bofors, which he had redirected from its previous role as primarily an iron and steel producer to a major manufacturer of cannon and other armaments...
, Nitro-Nobel AB (now a part of Dyno Nobel), it is not of the same stature or importance as the Nobel Prize. Although it has been claimed that Cook was at one time a Nobel Prize nominee, he was never nominated.
Creationism
Dr. Cook was an ardent creationist, and his writings on the subject are frequently quoted or cited by creationists. Cook was not, however, a "young earth" creationist, believing that "the creation was a refash[i]oning and reforming . . . of the surface features of the earth, not the earth as a whole" while "[t]he age of the earth turns out to be about half that claimed by geophysicists, but the solar system is found to be about the same as claimed by earth scientists." In some of his work in this area of creation theory he provided arguments in favor of a 6000 year-old planetary surface. One argument for a "young earth," which he wrote about in his book, Science and Mormonism, was that the atmosphere had not yet reached an equilibrium state with respect to carbon-14 creation/decay, and thus proving that the atmosphere of Earth was in fact not older than 6000 years, although this has been refuted.Books
- Prehistory and Earth Models (1966)
- Science and Mormonism (1968), with his son, M. Garfield Cook.
- Scientific Prehistory: A Sequel of Prehistory and Earth Models (1993)
Articles
- "Plasma and Universal Gravitation" — From Appendix III, The Science of High Explosives — American Chemical Society Monograph Series No. 139 (1958)
Other Frequently Cited Writings
- "What Happened to the Earth’s Helium?" — New Scientist, Vol. 24, 3 December 1964, pp. 631–632
- "Where is the Earth’s Radiogenic Helium?" — Nature, Vol. 179, 26 January 1957, p. 213
External sources
- Article on the BLU-82 at GlobalSecurity.org http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/blu-82.htm
- Melvin Cook biographical article on the Creation Wiki http://creationwiki.org/Melvin_Alonzo_Cook
- Notation on The Melvin Cook Papers (1802–1989) at the University of Utah http://www.lib.utah.edu/spc/mss/ms658/658.html
- TalkOrigins Archive article on a Melvin Cook claim http://www.lib.utah.edu/spc/mss/ms658/658.html
- Who's Who in Creation/Evolution at ChristianAnswers.net http://www.christiananswers.net/creation/people/cook-ma.html
- History of Dyno Nobel http://www.dynonobel.com/dynonobelcom/en/global/aboutus/ourhistory/