Ralph Eugene Lapp (August 24, 1917 – September 7, 2004) was an American
physicist who participated in the
Manhattan Project.
Lapp was an early advocate of
civil defense
Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, miti ...
. He attempted to demystify
radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...
.
He was born in
Buffalo, New York, and attended the
University of Chicago. After completing his graduate studies at the university he joined the Manhattan Project and became the assistant Director of the Metallurgical Laboratory. He then accepted a position with the War Department General Staff as a scientific advisor on atomic energy. When the research and development board was formed, Doctor Lapp became executive director of its committee on atomic energy. After this he acted as head of the Nuclear Physics branch of the
Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is an organization within the United States Department of the Navy responsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Established by Congress in 1946, its mission is to plan ...
. He wrote ''
Nuclear Radiation Biology'', ''
A Nuclear Reference Manual
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
'', ''
Must We Hide?'', and assisted Doctor H.L. Andrews from the
National Institute of Health in writing ''
Nuclear Radiation Physics
Nuclear may refer to:
Physics
Relating to the nucleus of the atom:
*Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear physics
*Nuclear power
*Nuclear reactor
*Nuclear weapon
*Nuclear medicine
*Radiation therapy
*Nuclear warfare
Mathematics
*Nuclear space
*Nuclear ...
''. He became an activist later in life and wrote a book, ''
Victims of the Super Bomb
Victim(s) or The Victim may refer to:
People
* Crime victim
* Victim, in psychotherapy, a posited role in the Karpman drama triangle model of transactional analysis
Films and television
* ''The Victim'' (1916 film), an American silent film by t ...
'' (1957).
In his book ''The New Priesthood: The Scientific Elite and the Uses of Power'', Lapp describes the increase in funding for science and the growing influence of scientists in American politics after the invention of the atomic bomb.
Lapp was interviewed by
Mike Wallace in 1957.
Mike Wallace Interview
/ref>
In 1971, he coined the expression " China Syndrome."
Works
*''Must We Hide?'' (1949)
*''The New Force: The Story of Atoms And People'' (1953)
*''Atoms And People'' (1956)
*''Radiation: What It Is And How It Affects You'' (1957)
*''The Voyage of the Lucky Dragon
Lucky may refer to:
*An adjective of luck
Lucky may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' Lucky: No Time for Love'', a 2005 Hindi-language romance starring Salman Khan, Sneha Ullal, and Mithun Chakraborty
* ''Lucky'', a 2005 short film by Av ...
'' (1958); Harper, New York
*''Roads to Discovery'' (1960)
*''Man and Space: The Next Decade'' (1961); Harper, New York
*''Kill and Overkill'' (1962); Basic Books, New York
*''Matter'' (1963); Series: Time-Life Science Library
*''The New Priesthood: The Scientific Elite and The Uses of Power'' (1965)
*''Arms Beyond Doubt: The Tyranny Of Weapons Technology'' (1970)
*''My Life With Radiation: Hiroshima Plus Fifty Years'' (1995)
References
*''Radiological Defense'' compiled by the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project
Obituary
from The Guardian.
External links
2002 Video Interview with Ralph Lapp by Atomic Heritage Foundation
Voices of the Manhattan Project
20th-century American physicists
1917 births
2004 deaths
Manhattan Project people
Scientists from Buffalo, New York
University of Chicago alumni
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