1964 Seaborg Award: Isadore Perlman

Born in Milwaukee, WI, in 1915, Perlman obtained a BS in chemistry (1936) and PhD in physiology (1940) from the University of California.

During World War II, Perlman helped develop plutonium extraction methods at Berkeley before going to work at the Chicago Met Lab. He would also work on reactor development at Oak Ridge and at Hanford.

The National Academy of Sciences called Perlman “a world leader on the systematics of alpha decay”. He was also recognized for his research of nuclear structure of the heavy elements. He was also noted for his isolation of Curium, as well as for fission of tantalum, bismuth, lead, thallium and platinum. Perlman discovered uses of radioactive iodine and phosphorus for medical purposes.

He was also a top expert in the field of archaeometry. He pioneered high-precision methods of neutron activation analysis.

Wikipedia Page

Obituary Co-written by Seaborg

National Academies Obituary by Seaborg & Asaro