- Francis E. Low
Frances E. Low (1921 in
New York City – 16 February 2007 inHaverford, Pennsylvania ) was a theoretical physicist. He was anInstitute Professor atMIT and served as provost there from 1980 to 1985.Biography
Early career
During the
Second World War , Low worked on theManhattan Project . He was based at what is now theOak Ridge National Laboratory , working on the mathematics ofuranium enrichment . He later entered theUnited States Army and served in the10th Mountain Division .After the war, Low completed his studies at
Columbia University , earning a Ph.D. in Physics in 1950. He worked at theInstitute for Advanced Study inPrinceton, New Jersey after receiving his doctorate and went on to teach at the University of Illinois.In 1948, Low married Natalie Sadigur.
Career at MIT
Low joined the MIT physics faculty in 1957. Among his students were
Alan Guth andMitchell Feigenbaum .He was director of MIT's Center for Theoretical Physics and the Laboratory for Nuclear Science.
Low was one of the founding members of the
Union of Concerned Scientists , in 1969, and briefly served as its chairman. He stepped down after a disagreement with other members, who refused to consider studying whethernuclear reactors could be made safe and reliable.In 1980, Low was appointed provost of MIT. During his five-year tenure, he was instrumental in bringing the
Whitehead Institute to MIT. He also enlarged the role of humanities education at the Institute.Low retired from MIT in 1991, but continued to teach for another few years.
Low also wrote a book, entitled "Classical Field Theory: Electromagnetism and Gravitation" which was published in 1997 by
John Wiley & Sons .Retirement
In 2004, Low's wife Natalie died. Low lived in Massachusetts for two more years. After, moved from
Belmont, Massachusetts toHaverford, Pennsylvania . Low has a son, two daughters, and six grandsons (which he always said was statistically rare).ee also
*
MIT Physics Department External links
* cite web
title=Physicist Francis E. Low, Former MIT Provost, Dies at 85
publisher=MIT News Office
url=http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/obit-low.html
date=2007-02-20
accessdate=2007-03-10
* [http://franciselowfoundation.org Francis E. Low Foundation]
* [https://giving.mit.edu/givenow/AddGift.dyn?desig=2732153 Francis E. Low Memorial Fund]
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0471595519/"Classical Field Theory: Electromagnetism and Gravitation" at Amazon.com]
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