1973 Seaborg Award: Albert Ghiorso

Ghiorso graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1937. Because of the Great Depression, no steady jobs were available. So Ghiorso worked for several small companies, gaining a reputation for his radio communication skills and his designs of radiation detection devices. His experience attracted the attention of UC Berkeley’s Glenn T. Seaborg, who persuaded a reluctant Ghiorso to move to Chicago to build radiation detection instrumentation for the Manhattan Project in 1941.

“Ghiorso will be remembered for his enthusiasm and optimism about producing still heavier elements throughout his long career and for his support of the arts and music,” says Darleane C. Hoffman, a professor of the graduate school in the chemistry department at UC Berkeley, who coauthored the book “The Transuranium People: The Inside Story” with Ghiorso and Seaborg.

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