- Eugene Rabinowitch
Eugene Rabinowitch (1901-1973) was a
Russia n-born American biophysicist who is best known for his work in relation tonuclear weapons , especially as a co-author of theFranck Report and a co-founder in 1945 of the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists ", a global security and public policy magazine, which he edited until his death.During
World War II , Rabinowitch, a Russian émigré, worked in the Metallurgical Laboratory (or "Met Lab"), theManhattan Project 's division at theUniversity of Chicago . At that time he was a member of the Committee on Political and Social Problems, chaired byJames Franck . Rabinowitch wrote (with help fromLeó Szilárd ) what became known as theFranck Report . The report recommended thatnuclear energy be brought under civilian rather than military control and argued that theUnited States should demonstrate theatomic bomb to world leaders in an uninhabited desert or barren island before using it in combat.The social and ethical concerns expressed in the Franck Report translated into the guiding principles of the "
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists ", founded by Rabinowitch and fellow physicist Hyman Goldsmith. In the twenty-fifth anniversary issue of the Bulletin, Rabinowitch wrote that the magazine's purpose "was to awaken the public to full understanding of the horrendous reality ofnuclear weapons and of their far-reaching implications for the future of mankind; to warn of the inevitability of other nations acquiring nuclear weapons within a few years, and of the futility of relying on America's possession of the 'secret' of the bomb." Over the years, Rabinowitch wrote more than 100 articles for the magazine, most of them editorials.Before the war, Rabinowitch passionately pursued research in
photosynthesis , a field in which he was to become a leader. After World War II, Rabinowitch taught and researchedbotany as a professor at theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , continuing his photosynthesis work and publishing the three-volume "Photosynthesis and Related Processes", as well as many other books.The papers of Rabinowitch are held in the Special Collections at the
University of Chicago Library.External links
* [http://www.thebulletin.org/article.php?art_ofn=nd05rabinowitch Eugene Rabinowitch, "A Sustained Reaction," "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists", December 1952.] Reprinted in abridged form in the Nov/Dec 2005 issue of the Bulletin.
*His son's Bulletin article, [http://www.thebulletin.org/article.php?art_ofn=jf05rabinowitch "Founder and Father," by Alex Rabinowitch, "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists", January/February 2005]
* [http://www.thebulletin.org/article.php?art_ofn=jf05schollmeyer Josh Schollmeyer, "Minority Report." "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, January/February 2005.]
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