Marvin Leonard Goldberger
Encyclopedia
Marvin Leonard Goldberger (born 22 October 1922) is a theoretical physicist
and former president of the California Institute of Technology
.
, Illinois
and went on to receive his B.S. at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University
), and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago
in 1948 or 1949. His advisor on thesis, Interaction of High-Energy Neutrons with Heavy Nuclei, was Enrico Fermi
.
Goldberger was a professor of physics at Princeton University
from 1957 through 1977. He received the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics
in 1961, and in 1963 was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
. From 1978 through 1987 he served as president of Caltech. He was the Director of the Institute for Advanced Study
from 1987 to 1991. From 1991 to 1993 he was a professor of physics at the University of California, Los Angeles
. From 1993 to the present he has been a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego
, where he has served as Dean of Natural Sciences. He is currently an emeritus professor at UC San Diego.
Around 1958, he and Sam Bard Treiman
derived the so-called Goldberger-Treiman relations.
He was a member of JASON. He has been involved in nuclear arms control efforts. He has also advised a number of major corporations; for example he was on the board of directors of General Motors
for 12 years.
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...
and former president of the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
.
Biography
Goldberger was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and went on to receive his B.S. at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
), and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1948 or 1949. His advisor on thesis, Interaction of High-Energy Neutrons with Heavy Nuclei, was Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi was an Italian-born, naturalized American physicist particularly known for his work on the development of the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and for his contributions to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics...
.
Goldberger was a professor of physics at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
from 1957 through 1977. He received the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics
Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics
Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics is an award given each year since 1959 jointly by the American Physical Society and American Institute of Physics. It is established by the Heineman Foundation in honour of Dannie Heineman...
in 1961, and in 1963 was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. From 1978 through 1987 he served as president of Caltech. He was the Director of the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
from 1987 to 1991. From 1991 to 1993 he was a professor of physics at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. From 1993 to the present he has been a professor of physics at 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...
, where he has served as Dean of Natural Sciences. He is currently an emeritus professor at UC San Diego.
Around 1958, he and Sam Bard Treiman
Sam Treiman
Sam Bard Treiman was an American theoretical physicist who produced important research in the fields of cosmic rays, quantum physics, plasma physics and gravity physics. He made major contributions to the understanding of the weak interaction and he and his students are credited with developing...
derived the so-called Goldberger-Treiman relations.
He was a member of JASON. He has been involved in nuclear arms control efforts. He has also advised a number of major corporations; for example he was on the board of directors of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
for 12 years.