David Delano Clark
Encyclopedia
David Delano Clark was a nuclear physicist best known for his work at Cornell University
building nuclear reactor
s and using them to perform neutron activation
analysis.
. He studied at the University of Texas and received his Bachelor of Arts
at the University of California, Berkeley
in 1948. He earned a Ph.D. in physics in 1953. Dr. Clark worked at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York prior to joining Cornell in 1955. In 1961, Clark became the first director of Cornell's Ward Laboratory of Nuclear Engineering. There, he designed and built a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor unit, the first of its class. In 1978, Clark became the head of Cornell's nuclear science and engineering department, a position he held, along with the directorship, until his retirement in 1996. He remained a professor emeritus until his death.
In 1968 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
. In 1996, Clark was named an American Nuclear Society
fellow, the highest honor bestowed on an individual by the society. Clark died of cardiac arrythmia at his office at Cornell on December 22, 1997. Each year, in his honor, the Cornell School of Applied Engineering and Physics hands out the David Delano Clark award for the best Master of Engineering
, or M.Eng., project.
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
building nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
s and using them to perform neutron activation
Neutron activation
Neutron activation is the process in which neutron radiation induces radioactivity in materials, and occurs when atomic nuclei capture free neutrons, becoming heavier and entering excited states. The excited nucleus often decays immediately by emitting particles such as neutrons, protons, or alpha...
analysis.
Biography
Born in Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. He studied at the University of Texas and received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
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...
in 1948. He earned a Ph.D. in physics in 1953. Dr. Clark worked at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York prior to joining Cornell in 1955. In 1961, Clark became the first director of Cornell's Ward Laboratory of Nuclear Engineering. There, he designed and built a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor unit, the first of its class. In 1978, Clark became the head of Cornell's nuclear science and engineering department, a position he held, along with the directorship, until his retirement in 1996. He remained a professor emeritus until his death.
In 1968 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
. In 1996, Clark was named an American Nuclear Society
American Nuclear Society
The American Nuclear Society is an international, not-for-profit 501 scientific and educational organization with a membership of approximately 11,000 scientists, engineers, educators, students, and other associate members. Approximately 900 members live outside the United States in 40 countries....
fellow, the highest honor bestowed on an individual by the society. Clark died of cardiac arrythmia at his office at Cornell on December 22, 1997. Each year, in his honor, the Cornell School of Applied Engineering and Physics hands out the David Delano Clark award for the best Master of Engineering
Master of Engineering
A Master of Engineering or Master of Technology or Master of Science in Engineering A Master of Engineering (Magister in Ingeniaria) (abbreviated M.Eng., ME or MEng) or Master of Technology (abbreviated M.Tech. or MTech) or Master of Science in Engineering A Master of Engineering (Magister in...
, or M.Eng., project.