Robert Lee Park (born January 16, 1931), also known as
Bob Park, is an
emeritusEmeritus is an adjective that is used in the title of a retired professor, bishop, or other professional. Emerita is often used as the female equivalent, although avoided by purists, since phrases such as professor emerita are ungrammatical in Latin...
professorThe meaning of the word professor varies. In some English-speaking countries, it refers to a senior academic who holds a departmental chair, especially as head of the department, or a personal chair awarded specifically to that individual...
of
physicsPhysics is a natural science; it is the study of matter and its motion through spacetime and all that derives from these, such as energy and force...
at the
University of Maryland, College ParkThe University of Maryland, College Park is a public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. Founded in 1856, the University of Maryland is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland...
and a former Executive Director of the
American Physical SocietyThe American Physical Society was founded in 1899 and is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen science journals, including the world renowned Physical Review andPhysical Review Letters, and...
. Park is most noted for his critical commentaries on
alternative medicineIn Western culture, alternative medicine is any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine", or "that which has been shown consistently to be effective." Alternative medicine is often based on the belief that a particular health regimen has efficacious effects...
and other
pseudosciencePseudoscience is a methodology, belief, or practice that is claimed to be scientific, or that is made to appear to be scientific, but which does not adhere to an appropriate scientific methodology, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
, as well as his opposition to manned space travel and space development.
Early life
Park was born in 1931 in
Kansas City, MissouriKansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. It is one of two county seats of Jackson County, the other being Independence, just to the city's east...
. His father was a lawyer and a farmer in southern
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
and he originally intended to attend law school. He entered the
Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
in 1951 and served (among other places) at
Walker Air Force BaseWalker Air Force Base was the largest Strategic Air Command base of the United States Air Force at the time of its closure in 1967. It is located three miles south of the central business district of Roswell, a city in Chaves County, New Mexico, USA.From 1941 to 1948, the facility was known as...
in
Roswell, New MexicoRoswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 45,293 at the 2000 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is...
until 1956. When the Air Force sent him to
radarRadar is an object detection system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The term RADAR was coined in 1941 as an acronym for RAdio Detection And...
school, he discovered a passion for physics.
Academic career
He achieved his bachelors and masters degrees in
PhysicsPhysics is a natural science; it is the study of matter and its motion through spacetime and all that derives from these, such as energy and force...
from the University of Texas in 1958 and 1960.
He obtained his PhD in physics at
Brown UniversityBrown University is a private university located in Providence, Rhode Island, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III...
in 1964. During his graduate work he was associated with physicist Harrison E. Farnsworth with whom he authored several papers.
He spent almost a decade working as a member of the technical staff, and later Director of the Surface Physics Division, at Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Government weapons research laboratory. He would draw on these experiences in later commentaries on government involvement in science and nuclear weapon development.
In 1974 he was recruited by the University of Maryland for their physics department. He has been associated with UMD ever since. He was Director of UMD's Center of Materials Research from 1975 to 1978 and Chairman of the Department of Physics and Astronomy from 1978 to 1982.
Over his long career as a physicist he has authored more than a hundred technical papers on the structure and properties of single-crystal surfaces and has supervised ten PhD Theses. He has chaired "more committees than I want to remember" and edited several peer-reviewed journals or proceedings.
He is a Fellow of the
American Physical SocietyThe American Physical Society was founded in 1899 and is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen science journals, including the world renowned Physical Review andPhysical Review Letters, and...
, the
American Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation between scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for...
and the
American Vacuum SocietyAmerican Vacuum Society is a not-for-profit learned society founded in 1953. AVS is a member society of the American Institute of Physics. AVS has approximately 5000 members worldwide from academia, governmental laboratories and industry...
.
Career as a skeptic
From 1983 until 2006, he was Director of Public Information at the Washington office of the American Physical Society. In this role (which he established), he engaged politicians and the press on matters of science and public policy. The Washington office now employs six people and Park continues in an advisory capacity. He has been seen in the media as an outspoken
critic of human spaceflightThe human versus robotic spaceflight debate refers to disagreements over the status of human spaceflight and robotic spaceflight . The debate is a recurring topic in news and opinion, especially after noteworthy space events...
, efforts to
colonize spaceSpace colonization is the concept of autonomous human habitation of locations outside Earth....
, and the prototype U.S.
National Missile DefenseNational missile defense as a generic term is a type of missile defense: a military strategy and associated systems to shield an entire country against incoming Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles . The missiles could be intercepted by other missiles, or possibly by lasers...
(as well as its predecessor
SDIThe Strategic Defense Initiative was a proposal by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983 to use ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather than the prior strategic...
). He criticized Dennis Lee's claims that he had invented a device from which he could extract "
free energyThe term perpetual motion, taken literally, refers to movement that goes on forever. However, the term more commonly refers to any device or system that perpetually produces more energy than it consumes, resulting in a net output of energy for indefinite time...
", which would violate the
conservation of energyThe law of conservation of energy states that the total amount of energy in a closed system remains constant. A consequence of this law is that energy cannot be created nor destroyed...
.
Park writes a weekly column,
What's New, which appears each Friday on the
University of MarylandWhen the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
's website. It features discussions on topics such as science news, space exploration, energy, the government in science, pseudoscience, alternative medicine, the
creation-evolution controversyThe creation–evolution controversy is a recurring theological and cultural-political dispute about the origins of the Earth, humanity, life, and the universe, between those who espouse the validity and/or superiority of literal interpretations of a creation myth, and the proponents of evolution,...
, and nuclear weapons. In his column he has characterized Wikipedia as a target for misuse by the "purveyors of
pseudosciencePseudoscience is a methodology, belief, or practice that is claimed to be scientific, or that is made to appear to be scientific, but which does not adhere to an appropriate scientific methodology, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
". However, he has also stated in
What's New that he finds Wikipedia indispensible and that, instead of a Wikipedia critic, he is a curmudgeon, but thinks "Wikipedia is cool."
He has also written
op-edAn op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board. These are different from editorials, which are usually unsigned and written by editorial board members...
s and other articles on these topics for
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
,
NewsdayNewsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
,
USA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth...
,
The Washington PostThe Washington Post is the newspaper with the largest circulation in Washington, D.C. and is the city's oldest paper, founded in 1877. Being located in the nation's capital, it has a particular emphasis on national politics and international affairs...
,
Space.comSpace.com is a space and astronomy news website. Its stories are often syndicated to other media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo!, and USA Today....
,
QuackwatchQuackwatch Inc. is an American non-profit organization founded by Stephen Barrett that states its mission is to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" with a primary focus on providing "quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere."...
and
Skeptical InquirerThe Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly, American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
magazine.
In 2000 he criticized
alternative medicineIn Western culture, alternative medicine is any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine", or "that which has been shown consistently to be effective." Alternative medicine is often based on the belief that a particular health regimen has efficacious effects...
,
telepathyTelepathy is supposed to be the transfer of information on thoughts or feelings between individuals by means other than the five senses . The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H...
and
homeopathyHomeopathy is a form of alternative medicine, first proposed by German physician Samuel Hahnemann in 1796, that treats patients with heavily diluted preparations which are thought to cause effects similar to the symptoms presented...
in his popular book
Voodoo ScienceVoodoo science, is a neologism referring to research that falls short of adhering to the scientific method. The term was popularized in the book Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud, by professor and scientific skeptic Robert L. Park...
. Science fiction author
Charles PlattCharles Platt is the author of 41 fiction and nonfiction books, including science-fiction novels such as The Silicon Man and Protektor . He has also written non-fiction, particularly on the subjects of computer technology and cryonics, as well as teaching and working in these fields...
reviewed the book for the
Washington Post, somewhat negatively. This was followed by a number of letters to the editor criticizing Platt for alleged bias. Other reviews of the book have been positive.
In 2008 Park published his second book,
Superstition: Belief in the Age of Science.
In 2009, Park gave a public lecture at
Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College is a private, coeducational university located in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. Incorporated as "Trustees of Dartmouth College," it is a member of the Ivy League and one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution...
on
MalthusianDr. Thomas Robert Malthus FRS ,was a Jewish scholar, influential in political economy and demography. Malthus popularised the economic theory of rent....
overpopulationOverpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. In common parlance, the term usually refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth....
and the
environmentThe biophysical environment is the symbiosis between the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables that comprise the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories: the natural environment and the built...
. He called for the distribution of the birth control pill, "arguably the most important technological development in history", to reduce
fertility ratesThe total fertility rate of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates through her lifetime, and she...
in
developing nationsDeveloping country is a term generally used to describe a nation with a low level of material well being. There is no single internationally-recognized definition of developed country, and the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries, with some developing...
.
Since 2004 Park has been a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
Personal
Park is married to Gerry and lives in
Adelphi, MarylandAdelphi is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 14,998 at the 2000 census...
. They have two sons, Robert Jr. and Daniel, and three grandchildren.
On September 3, 2000, Park was hospitalized after being struck by a falling oak tree. He later wrote about the experience in his book,
Superstition: Belief in the Age of Science.
Appearances
Park spoke at The Amaz!ng Meeting 2 in 2004, and at the National Capital Area Skeptics in 1995, 2000, 2002 and 2008.
Park has appeared on
NBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. Its current president is Steve Capus.-Caravan era:The first American television newscast in history was made by NBC News on February 21, 1940, anchored by Lowell Thomas and airing weeknights at 6:45 pm. In 1948, NBC teamed up with...
and was one of the featured participants in the alternative medicine episode of
Penn & TellerPenn & Teller is a double act consisting of Penn Jillette and Teller. The duo's act is an amalgam of illusion and comedy. Penn is a raconteur and Teller generally uses mime while performing, although his voice can occasionally be heard throughout their performance...
's
Bullshit!.
Park appeared on
Dateline NBCDateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It is similar in scope to ABC's 20/20 or CBS's 60 Minutes.-History:...
in April 2009 in a segment investigating Dennis Lee's fraudulent claims for a device that could supposedly dramatically increase the gasoline mileage of a car.
Park appeared on
The Colbert ReportThe Colbert Report is an American satirical late night television program that airs Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States and on both The Comedy Network and CTV in Canada...
on July 20, 2009.
Awards and honors
- 1958 Phi Beta Kappa (University of Texas)
- 1998 Joseph A. Burton Forum Award from the American Physical Society
The American Physical Society was founded in 1899 and is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen science journals, including the world renowned Physical Review andPhysical Review Letters, and...
for his What's New column.
- 2008 NCAS Philip J. Klass
Philip Julian Klass was an American journalist and UFO researcher with a background in electrical engineering. Klass was born in Des Moines, Iowa and died in Merritt Island, Florida....
Award from the National Capital Area Skeptics
Criticism
Publishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, in reviewing Park's 2009 book,
Superstition: Belief in the Age of Science, criticized the book for being a "thinly argued rehash of the debate between science and religion". The review took particularly issue with Chapter 4 of the book, "Giving Up the Ghost", accusing Park of interpreting the
BibleThe Bible contains the central religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. Modern Judaism generally recognizes a single set of canonical books known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, as it is written almost entirely in the Hebrew language, with some small portions in Aramaic...
to his own purposes, and opining that Park's mention of such diverse subjects as the Plan B contraceptive,
genesGênes is the name of a département of the First French Empire in present Italy. It was named after the city Genoa. It was formed in 1805, when Napoleon Bonaparte occupied the Republic of Genoa. Its capital was Genoa. It was divided into the arrondissements of Genoa, Bobbio, Novi Ligure, Tortona and...
, memes, stem cells and ghosts in arguing against the existence of the human
soulThe soul, in many religions, spiritual traditions, and philosophies, is the spiritual and eternal part of a living being, commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; distinct from the physical part. It is typically thought to consist of ones consciousness and personality, and can be...
illustrates how "disjointed" his arguments are. The review asserted that such issues were better covered in works such as
Daniel DennettDaniel Clement Dennett is a prominent American philosopher whose research centers on philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He is currently the co-director of the Center for Cognitive...
's
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon. Park commented that the reviewer for
Publishers Weekly was offended at his assertion that "science is the only way of knowing."
External links
- What's New – Bob Park's weekly column and newsletter
- Robert L. Park – faculty homepage, Physics Department, University of Maryland, College Park