Robert M. Walker (February 6, 1929 – February 12, 2004) was an 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 cau ...

, a

planetary scientist Planetary science (or more rarely, planetology) is the scientific study of planets (including Earth), celestial bodies (such as moons, asteroids, comets) and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System) and the processes of their ...

, the founder and director of McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

, noted for his co-discovery of the etchability of nuclear particle tracks in solids,R. L. Fleischer, P. Buford Price, and Robert M. Walker (1975) ''Nuclear Tracks in Solids'' (U. California Press, Berkeley). as well as his conjecture that meteorites and lunar rocks contain a record of the ancient radiation history of various stars including the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

.New York Times:Big Science; Is It Worth the Price?; Small-Scale Science Feels the Pinch From Big Projects; page 3 of 5;September 4, 1990
/ref>
/ref> ttp://www.nap.edu/readingroom.php?book=biomems&page=rwalker.html National Academies Press:National Academy of Sciences;Biographical Memoirs;Robert M. Walker;By P. Buford Price and Ernst Zinner/ref>Washington University in St. Louis;Robert M Walker;1929 - 2004
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/ref> Asteroid 6372 was named Walker in his honor by the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

. Walker was a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Walker was also a fellow of the American Physical Society, the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's a ...

, the

Meteoritical Society The Meteoritical Society is a non-profit scholarly organization founded in 1933 to promote research and education in planetary science with emphasis on studies of meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials that further our understanding of the ...

and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also a founder and the first president of Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA).

Notable distinctions

* 1964

American Nuclear Society The American Nuclear Society (ANS) is an international, not-for-profit organization of scientists, engineers, and industry professionals that promote the field of nuclear engineering and related disciplines. ANS is composed of three communities: ...

Annual Award * 1966

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

Engineering Association Annual Award for Contributions to Basic and Applied Science * 1967 Doctor, honoris causa,

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

* 1970

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

Exceptional Scientific Achievement Award * 1971 E. O. Lawrence Memorial Award of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission * 1973 Elected to the National Academy of Sciences * 1975 Docteur, honoris causa,

University of Clermont-Ferrand The University of Clermont-Ferrand was officially founded in 1896, by merging of two existing faculties (Literature and Sciences) and a medical school. In 1976, due to political issues, the University split between University Clermont-Ferrand I - ...

, France * 1985 Antarctic Service Medal of the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

* 1991 J. Lawrence Smith Medal, National Academy of Sciences * 1992 Officier de l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques * 1993 Leonard Medal of the

* 1997 Peter Raven Lifetime Achievement Award, St. Louis Academy of Science * 1999 Asteroid 6372 named Walker by

* 2004 Doctor, honoris causa (posthumous),

Life and career

* February 6, 1929, born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

* 1950 graduated from

with a degree in physics * 1954 Ph.D. in physics,

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

* 1966 the McDonnell Professor of Physics,

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

* February 12, 2004 died in Brussels, Belgium stomach cancer

Personal life

Walker was married to the cosmochemist Ghislaine Crozaz.

References

External links

P. Buford Price and Ernst Zinner, "Robert M. Walker", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (2005)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Robert M. 1929 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American physicists Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Union College (New York) alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Scientists from Philadelphia Scientists from St. Louis Physicists from Missouri Scientists from Missouri Fellows of the American Geophysical Union Scientists from New York (state) Washington University physicists Washington University in St. Louis faculty