Norman Rasmussen
Encyclopedia
Norman C. Rasmussen was an American physicist
.
Rasmussen was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
. He grew up on a dairy farm as the fifth of six brothers. He attended public school in Hershey, Pennsylvania. His father died when he was in eighth grade, and his family moved to Gettysburg, where his grandparents helped to care for the family. Rasmussen graduated from high school in June, 1945 and enlisted in the Navy. He was sent to Great Lakes Naval Training school, where he became and electronics technician He served on active duty until August, 1946, when he was honorably discharged.
Norm enrolled in Gettysburg College in the fall of 1946, using the GI bill to finance his tuition. He majored in Physics, and studies under Professor George Miller
, who encouraged Norm to go to Graduate School. At Gettysburg he also met his future wife, Thalia Tichenor. They married in 1952.
He graduate from Gettysburg College cum laude in 1950 and enrolled as a graduate student in the Physics Department at MIT. He worked for Professor Robley Evans in the Radioactivity Center, which Evans had created and led. The work was concerned with the field of experimental low-energy nuclear physics, including the determination of nuclear energy levels, radiation dosimetry, and the biological effects of radiation. He worked as a teaching assistant for Professor Evans' two semester undergraduate course "Nuclear Physics" in 1952.
Rasmussen completed his Ph.D. in 1956 with the graduate thesis entitled "Standardization of Electron Capture Isotopes." After graduation, he remained in the Physics Department as an instructor. He also continued his experimental work at The Radioactivity Center. In the 1950s, the tools available for detection and measurement were relatively primitive. Norm was in the forefront of developing coincidence-counting techniques to measure decay schemes.
MIT began construction of their first research reactor, led by Norm's good friend Theos J. Thompson, to be competed in 1958. That same year, Course XXII was upgraded to a full MIT academic department (previously it was a program under Chemical Engineering), Norm as invited by Manson Benedict
to be one of the new department's founding assistant professors. Rasmussen was a key user of the new reactor, and participated in constructing a 6-meter bent crystal spectrometer
used for gamma ray spectroscopy studies for many years. He migrated from determination of decay spectra to the use of spectra for measuring nuclear composition. This led him to a major program for the measurement of spent nuclear fuel composition, a matter of significant importance to the nuclear weapons programs where both tritium and plutonium were created in production reactors. the International Atomic Energy Agency
adopted his techniques for use in proliferation studies.
His initial research concentrated on investigating radiation and gamma rays. He was the head of the nuclear engineering department from 1975 to 1981. He headed the landmark Reactor Safety Study (WASH-1400) in the early 1970s. This study established the formal discipline of Probabilistic Risk Assessment
(PRA), and for this he is known as the father of PRA and Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA). Among his numerous honors was his election to both the National Academy of Engineering
(1977) and the National Academy of Sciences
(1979), as well as serving a 6-year term on the National Science Board during the Reagan Administration. Professor Rasmussen won the Enrico Fermi Award for excellence in the field of nuclear energy in 1985 for his ‘pioneering contributions to nuclear energy in the development of probabilistic risk assessment techniques that have provided new insights and led to new developments in nuclear power plant safety. Perhaps his most remembered moment was his televised debate with activist Ralph Nader over the safety of nuclear power.
Norm as an avid sports enthusiast, and a Red Sox fan. Fellow professors at MIT tell of sneaking off with Norm to catch a game at nearby Fenway Park
. His skills in probability reportedly made him an excellent poker player
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...
.
Rasmussen was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
. He grew up on a dairy farm as the fifth of six brothers. He attended public school in Hershey, Pennsylvania. His father died when he was in eighth grade, and his family moved to Gettysburg, where his grandparents helped to care for the family. Rasmussen graduated from high school in June, 1945 and enlisted in the Navy. He was sent to Great Lakes Naval Training school, where he became and electronics technician He served on active duty until August, 1946, when he was honorably discharged.
Norm enrolled in Gettysburg College in the fall of 1946, using the GI bill to finance his tuition. He majored in Physics, and studies under Professor George Miller
George Miller
- Arts :*George Miller , Australian film and television screenwriter, film director, and producer*George T. Miller , Australian film and television director and producer*George Bures Miller , Canadian artist...
, who encouraged Norm to go to Graduate School. At Gettysburg he also met his future wife, Thalia Tichenor. They married in 1952.
He graduate from Gettysburg College cum laude in 1950 and enrolled as a graduate student in the Physics Department at MIT. He worked for Professor Robley Evans in the Radioactivity Center, which Evans had created and led. The work was concerned with the field of experimental low-energy nuclear physics, including the determination of nuclear energy levels, radiation dosimetry, and the biological effects of radiation. He worked as a teaching assistant for Professor Evans' two semester undergraduate course "Nuclear Physics" in 1952.
Rasmussen completed his Ph.D. in 1956 with the graduate thesis entitled "Standardization of Electron Capture Isotopes." After graduation, he remained in the Physics Department as an instructor. He also continued his experimental work at The Radioactivity Center. In the 1950s, the tools available for detection and measurement were relatively primitive. Norm was in the forefront of developing coincidence-counting techniques to measure decay schemes.
MIT began construction of their first research reactor, led by Norm's good friend Theos J. Thompson, to be competed in 1958. That same year, Course XXII was upgraded to a full MIT academic department (previously it was a program under Chemical Engineering), Norm as invited by Manson Benedict
Manson Benedict
Manson Benedict was an American nuclear engineer and a professor of nuclear engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . From 1958 to 1968, he was the chairman of the advisory committee to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.-Biography:Born in Lake Linden, Michigan, Benedict received a...
to be one of the new department's founding assistant professors. Rasmussen was a key user of the new reactor, and participated in constructing a 6-meter bent crystal spectrometer
Spectrometer
A spectrometer is an instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically used in spectroscopic analysis to identify materials. The variable measured is most often the light's intensity but could also, for instance, be the polarization...
used for gamma ray spectroscopy studies for many years. He migrated from determination of decay spectra to the use of spectra for measuring nuclear composition. This led him to a major program for the measurement of spent nuclear fuel composition, a matter of significant importance to the nuclear weapons programs where both tritium and plutonium were created in production reactors. the International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
adopted his techniques for use in proliferation studies.
His initial research concentrated on investigating radiation and gamma rays. He was the head of the nuclear engineering department from 1975 to 1981. He headed the landmark Reactor Safety Study (WASH-1400) in the early 1970s. This study established the formal discipline of Probabilistic Risk Assessment
Probabilistic risk assessment
Probabilistic risk assessment is a systematic and comprehensive methodology to evaluate risks associated with a complex engineered technological entity ....
(PRA), and for this he is known as the father of PRA and Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA). Among his numerous honors was his election to both the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
(1977) and the 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...
(1979), as well as serving a 6-year term on the National Science Board during the Reagan Administration. Professor Rasmussen won the Enrico Fermi Award for excellence in the field of nuclear energy in 1985 for his ‘pioneering contributions to nuclear energy in the development of probabilistic risk assessment techniques that have provided new insights and led to new developments in nuclear power plant safety. Perhaps his most remembered moment was his televised debate with activist Ralph Nader over the safety of nuclear power.
Norm as an avid sports enthusiast, and a Red Sox fan. Fellow professors at MIT tell of sneaking off with Norm to catch a game at nearby Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
. His skills in probability reportedly made him an excellent poker player
External links
- http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2003/rasmussen.html
- http://www.er.doe.gov/fermi/html/Laureates/1980s/normanr.htm
- http://web.mit.edu/nse