Charles Madic
Encyclopedia
Charles Madic was a French scientist working on the reprocessing of radioactive material.
in Finistère
, France, to Henri Madic, customs officer, and Isabelle Madic born le Clech, housewife. Third child in a family of four living children.
His family moved to Vitry-sur-Seine
, near Paris, in 1951. He completed his secondary education by obtaining a diploma in chemistry at Lycée d'Arsonval of Saint-Maur-des-Fosses
. He then went to university in 1959 to prepare a BA in Chemistry. He did not join the contingent in Algeria, having obtained a postponment to complete his studies.
He accomplished his military service in Tunisia, from 1966 to 1968 after completing his Master's Thesis. He taught physics and chemistry at the teachers training institute in Tunis. On his return he completed a Ph.D. thesis at Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie under the direction of Professor Bernard Trémillon, then an extended or "state doctorate" in partnership with the CEA
. He then became director of research.
He spent two years in the U.S. at the nuclear research center of Oak Ridge
in the 1980s with his wife and two little girls.
He led a European project on nuclear toxicology and a major research partnership with Russia.
His lectures took him to many countries. He established close ties and friendships with many Russian and Japanese scientists.
He divided his time between the site of Saclay / Gif sur Yvette and that of Marcoule
, his own research, his activities as a professor at the National Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology at the Ecole Centrale, his supervision of Ph.D. students and the lectures he gave in the whole world. He seized every opportunity to share his knowledge and passion for science with younger generations, each time seeking to make the scientific concepts he developed accessible to as many people as possible.
In 2005 he received the grand prize of the Academy of Sciences Ivan Peychès for his work on the physics and chemistry of actinide
s that led to major applications including the reprocessing of nuclear fuel and management of long-lived radioactive waste. http://www.academie-sciences.fr/conferences/seances_solennelles/pdf/palmares_prix_15_11_05.pdf
. A few months before, despite his difficult elocution due to his illness, he gave an important conference to the scientific community.
The epitaph published in the journal Le Monde
by the CEA said that "Charles Madic was a great scientist who influenced a whole generation of researchers by providing them with a passion for science"
Biography
Born August 8, 1942 in CorayCoray
Coray is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.It lies on the Odet river.-Population:Inhabitants of Coray are called in French Corayens.-References:** ;-External links:* *...
in Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
, France, to Henri Madic, customs officer, and Isabelle Madic born le Clech, housewife. Third child in a family of four living children.
His family moved to Vitry-sur-Seine
Vitry-sur-Seine
Vitry-sur-Seine is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:Vitry-sur-Seine was originally called simply Vitry. The name Vitry comes from Medieval Latin Vitriacum, and before that Victoriacum, meaning "estate of Victorius", a...
, near Paris, in 1951. He completed his secondary education by obtaining a diploma in chemistry at Lycée d'Arsonval of Saint-Maur-des-Fosses
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 11.7 km. from the center of Paris.-The abbey:...
. He then went to university in 1959 to prepare a BA in Chemistry. He did not join the contingent in Algeria, having obtained a postponment to complete his studies.
He accomplished his military service in Tunisia, from 1966 to 1968 after completing his Master's Thesis. He taught physics and chemistry at the teachers training institute in Tunis. On his return he completed a Ph.D. thesis at Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie under the direction of Professor Bernard Trémillon, then an extended or "state doctorate" in partnership with the CEA
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique
The Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives or CEA, is a French “public establishment related to industrial and commercial activities” whose mission is to develop all applications of nuclear power, both civilian and military...
. He then became director of research.
He spent two years in the U.S. at the nuclear research center of Oak Ridge
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...
in the 1980s with his wife and two little girls.
Scientific and educational contributions
Charles Madic is credited with some of the major advances over three decades in the qualitative chemical methods for treating highly radioactive material. He was regularly consulted by scientists across the world on issues pertaining to his field of expertise.He led a European project on nuclear toxicology and a major research partnership with Russia.
His lectures took him to many countries. He established close ties and friendships with many Russian and Japanese scientists.
He divided his time between the site of Saclay / Gif sur Yvette and that of Marcoule
Marcoule
Marcoule Nuclear Site is a nuclear plant in the Chusclan and Codolet communes, near Bagnols-sur-Cèze in the Gard department of France, which is in the touristic, wine and agricultural Côtes-du-Rhône region...
, his own research, his activities as a professor at the National Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology at the Ecole Centrale, his supervision of Ph.D. students and the lectures he gave in the whole world. He seized every opportunity to share his knowledge and passion for science with younger generations, each time seeking to make the scientific concepts he developed accessible to as many people as possible.
In 2005 he received the grand prize of the Academy of Sciences Ivan Peychès for his work on the physics and chemistry of actinide
Actinide
The actinide or actinoid series encompasses the 15 metallic chemical elements with atomic numbers from 89 to 103, actinium through lawrencium.The actinide series derives its name from the group 3 element actinium...
s that led to major applications including the reprocessing of nuclear fuel and management of long-lived radioactive waste. http://www.academie-sciences.fr/conferences/seances_solennelles/pdf/palmares_prix_15_11_05.pdf
Death
He died on 1 March 2008 in his seventy sixth year, of Gehrig's diseaseAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
. A few months before, despite his difficult elocution due to his illness, he gave an important conference to the scientific community.
The epitaph published in the journal Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
by the CEA said that "Charles Madic was a great scientist who influenced a whole generation of researchers by providing them with a passion for science"
Online scientific publications
- Partial bibliography at Sciencedirect.com
- Overview of the Hydrometallurgical and Pyro-metallurgical processes studied worldwide for the partitioning of High Active Nuclear Wastes
- Separation of long-lived radionuclides from high active nuclear waste
- Le comportement imprévu du plutonium
- Les réacteurs nucléaires à caloporteur gaz
- Newpart: A European Research Programme for Minor Actinide Partioning
- Plutonium Chemistry: Toward the End of PuO2's Supremacy?