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NEW YORK, May 13, 2024 – richard L.Garwin, a pivotal figure in the development of the world’s first hydrogen bomb, has died. He was 97.
## A Scientific Pioneer Who Shaped the 20th Century
Garwin’s innovations spanned nuclear physics, computing, and medical imaging.
- Richard L. Garwin,a physicist who designed the first hydrogen bomb,died May 13 at age 97.
- His work also considerably advanced MRI technology, laser printing, and computer algorithms like the Fast Fourier Transform.
- Garwin served as a science advisor to multiple U.S. presidents for over 50 years.
- He held 47 U.S. patents and authored nearly 500 scientific papers.
Richard L. Garwin played a critical role in developing the world’s first hydrogen bomb in the early 1950s. For 41 years, he was an IBM researcher in Yorktown Heights, New York.During this time, he also advised several U.S. presidents on science and defense policy.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in physics from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1947, Garwin joined the University of Chicago’s doctoral program. His thesis advisor was Enrico Fermi, the physicist behind the first nuclear reactor. Garwin earned his Ph.D. in 1949 and, on Fermi’s proposal, joined the hydrogen bomb project at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
In 1951, Garwin designed the hydrogen bomb, building on the theoretical work of Edward teller and Stanislaw Ulam. This design led to the triumphant 1952 test of a thermonuclear device, codenamed Ivy Mike, at the Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Due to the classified nature of his work, his specific contributions weren’t publicly disclosed until 2001.Garwin transitioned from the Los Alamos lab to IBM’s Watson Research Centre in 1952. There, he contributed to early advancements in computing, communications, and medical imaging.his work influenced breakthroughs in MRI, high-speed laser printing, and touchscreen monitors.
He was also instrumental in developing the Fast Fourier Transform, a computer algorithm that significantly accelerated data processing. This algorithm is now integral to countless electronic devices and was recognized with an IEEE Milestone. Garwin also developed technology for detecting gravitational waves, ripples in spacetime caused by cosmic events like black hole collisions and star explosions.
For over 50 years, Garwin advised U.S. presidents, from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Bill Clinton,on defense and nuclear policy. He retired from IBM in 1993 but remained active in public service. He chaired the U.S. State Department’s arms control and nonproliferation advisory board until 2001 and served on commissions addressing arms control and missile threats.
Garwin held 47 U.S. patents and authored almost 500 scientific papers. He co-authored books and was a vocal advocate for arms control and responsible scientific innovation.—
Anthony C. Davies, the 2003-2004 director of IEEE region 8, died March 22 at age 89. Davies was a professor emeritus at King’s College London, where he directed the electronic and electrical engineering department.
His career began in 1961 as an engineer at General electric Co. in coventry, England, working on filter design and pulse code modulation. He later joined Northampton College of Advanced Technology as a lecturer. In 1982, he became chair of the information engineering department and headed its microprocessor laboratory. In 1987, Davies was a Royal Society Industry Fellow in the army weapons division of British Aerospace.
In 1990, he joined King’s College, teaching digital signal processing and software design.He retired in 1999 but returned as a visiting professor at Kingston University in 2002, leading a project on communications for asynchronous real-time systems. Davies also served as vice president of the IEEE circuits and Systems Society and chair of the IEEE UK and Ireland Section. He was a member of the British Computer Society and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Davies earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southampton in 1961 after serving in the british Army.He later earned master’s and Ph
