Wolfgang Kurt Hermann "Pief" Panofsky (April 24, 1919 – September 24, 2007), was a German-American

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

who won many awards including the

National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social scienc ...

Early life

Panofsky was born in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Germany to a family of art historians

Dorothea Dorothea (also spelled Dorothée, Dorotea or other variants) is a female given name from Greek (Dōrothéa) meaning "God's Gift". It may refer to: People * Dorothea Binz (1920–1947), German concentration camp officer executed for war cr ...

and

Erwin Panofsky Erwin Panofsky (March 30, 1892 in Hannover – March 14, 1968 in Princeton, New Jersey) was a German-Jewish art historian, whose academic career was pursued mostly in the U.S. after the rise of the Nazi regime. Panofsky's work represents a hig ...

. His ancestors were of Jewish descent. He spent much of his early life in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, where his father was a professor of Art History. From the age of 10, he attended the Johanneum, where he received a classical education involving Latin and Ancient Greek, but little science. At the age of 15, he moved with his family to the United States and entered

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

. He graduated with an A.B. in physics from

, as salutatorian of his class, in 1938 after completing a senior thesis, titled "The construction of a high pressure ionisation chamber", under the supervision of

Walker Bleakney Walker Bleakney (February 8, 1901 – January 15, 1992) was an American physicist, one of inventors of mass spectrometers, and widely noted for his research in the fields of atomic physics, molecular physics, fluid dynamics, the ionization of g ...

. He then received his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in physics from the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

in 1942 after completing a doctoral dissertation, titled "A measurement of the value of h/e by the determination of the short wavelength limit of the continuous x-ray spectrum at 20 kV", under the supervision of Jesse W. M. DuMond. In April 1942 he was naturalized as a U.S. citizen.Wolfgang K. H. Panofsky, ''Particles and Policy'', American Institute of Physics, 1994.

Academic career

From 1945 to 1951, Panofsky held an assistant and then associate professorship at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, before permanently establishing himself as Professor of Physics at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. Between 1961 and 1984, he was the director of the

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, originally named the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, is a United States Department of Energy National Laboratory operated by Stanford University under the programmatic direction of the U.S. Departme ...

and continued to serve as director emeritus until his death. He was also on the board of directors of the

Arms Control Association The Arms Control Association is a United States-based nonpartisan membership organization founded in 1971, with the self-stated mission of "promoting public understanding of and support for effective arms control policies." The group publishes th ...

from 1996 until 1999. Panofsky was a member of the Board of Sponsors of The

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists The ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'' is a nonprofit organization concerning science and global security issues resulting from accelerating technological advances that have negative consequences for humanity. The ''Bulletin'' publishes conte ...

and won the

Matteucci Medal The Matteucci Medal is an Italian award for physicists, named after Carlo Matteucci from Forlì. It was established to award physicists for their fundamental contributions. Under an Italian Royal Decree dated July 10, 1870, the Italian Society of S ...

in 1996 for his fundamental contributions to physics. He was also a recipient of the National Medal of Science, the

Franklin Medal The Franklin Medal was a science award presented from 1915 until 1997 by the Franklin Institute located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. It was founded in 1914 by Samuel Insull Samuel Insull (November 11, 1859 – July 16, 1938) was a Bri ...

(1970), the Ernest O. Lawrence Medal, the Leo Szilard Award and the

Enrico Fermi Award The Enrico Fermi Award is a scientific award conferred by the President of the United States. It is awarded to honor scientists of international stature for their lifetime achievement in the development, use, or production of energy. It was establ ...

Personal life

During his college days, Panofsky was called "Pief" by fellow students who found his full name unpronounceable. The childhood nickname seemed to suit the ebullient physicist, and it stayed with him throughout his long life. His elder brother, Hans A. Panofsky, was "an atmospheric scientist who taught at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

for 30 years and who was credited with several advances in the study of meteorology". Panofsky married Adèle Irène DuMond, daughter of his PhD advisor in 1942.Sidney D. Drell and George H. Trilling
Wolfgang Kurt Hermann Panofsky A Biographical Memoir
/ref> Adèle Panofsky was also known at SLAC for her role in the building of the mounted Paleoparadoxia fossil skeleton display at the SLAC Visitors Center.

Awards and Honors

Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award was established in 1959 in honor of a scientist who helped elevate American physics to the status of world leader in the field. E. O. Lawrence was the inventor of the cyclotron, an accelerator of subatomic par ...

(1961) *

Alumni Distinguished Service Award (1966) * California Scientist of the Year Award (1967) * Elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

(1968) *

(1969) *

(1970) * Elected to the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

(1971) * Annual Public Service Award,

Federation of American Scientists The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is an American nonprofit global policy think tank with the stated intent of using science and scientific analysis to attempt to make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1946 by scientists who wo ...

(1973) *

(1979) * Leo Szilard Award (1982) * Shoong Foundation Hall of Fame in Science (1983) * Elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

(1985) * Hilliard Roderick Prize (AAAS-1991) *

Honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

s from the Faculty of Mathematics and Science at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in opera ...

, Sweden, and from Princeton University * Matteucei Medal (Rome, 1997) * International Scientific and Technological Award from the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(2001)

Death

Panofsky died at the age of 88 on September 24, 2007, in

Los Altos, California Los Altos (; Spanish for "The Heights") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 31,625 according to the 2020 census. Most of the city's growth occurred between 1950 and 1980. Originally a ...

, from a heart attack. Panofsky stayed active at SLAC until his last day of life.Wolfgang Panofsky, Renowned Stanford Physicist and Arms Control Advocate, Dead at 88
September 25, 2007 He was survived by his wife of 65 years, Adele Panofsky, their five children, 11 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

Publications

* ''Classical Electricity and Magnetism'' by Wolfgang Panofsky and

Melba Phillips Melba Newell Phillips (February 1, 1907 – November 8, 2004) was an American physicist and pioneer science educator. One of the first doctoral students of J. Robert Oppenheimer at the University of California, Berkeley, Phillips completed her Ph. ...

(1955, 1962, 1983, 1990)

References

External links

* Michael Schaaf und Hartwig Spitzer:
Immediately after the explosion I fell asleep
(PDF; 513 kB)'', Interview mit Wolfgang Panofsky, Arbeitsgruppe Naturwissenschaft und Internationale Sicherheit in der Universität Hamburg, 6. Juli 2006

* ttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2569200.ece Obituary in ''The Times'', 2 October 2007br>W.K.H. Panofsky's SLAC web pageSLAC Archives and History Office Panofsky web pageJuly 2006 Interview with Dr. Panofsky (PDF)Peace talk: My life negotiating science and policy by W. K. H. Panofsky (PDF)

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110927165221/http://www-group.slac.stanford.edu/do/people/pief.html SLAC Director's Office*
THE KELVIN ABSOLUTE VOLTMETER and the speed of light
a physics laboratory course experiment whose apparatus was designed by Panofsky
A measurement of the value of h/e by the determination of the short wavelength limit of the continuous x-ray spectrum at 20kV