Robert M. Walker (February 6, 1929 – February 12, 2004) was an American physicist, a planetary scientist, the founder and director of McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, noted for his co-discovery of the etchability of nuclear particle tracks in solids,1 as well as his conjecture that meteorites and lunar rocks contain a record of the ancient radiation history of various stars including the Sun.23456 Asteroid 6372 was named Walker in his honor by the International Astronomical Union.4 Walker was a member of the National Academy of Sciences.45 Walker was also a fellow of the American Physical Society,5 the American Geophysical Union,5 the Meteoritical Society5 and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.5 He was also a founder and the first president of Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA).56
Notable distinctions
- 1964 American Nuclear Society Annual Award5
- 1966 Yale Engineering Association Annual Award for Contributions to Basic and Applied Science45
- 1967 Doctor, honoris causa, Union College46
- 1970 NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Award45
- 1971 E. O. Lawrence Memorial Award of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission45
- 1973 Elected to the National Academy of Sciences4
- 1975 Docteur, honoris causa, University of Clermont-Ferrand, France4
- 1985 Antarctic Service Medal of the National Science Foundation5
- 1991 J. Lawrence Smith Medal, National Academy of Sciences45
- 1992 Officier de l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques45
- 1993 Leonard Medal of the Meteoritical Society45
- 1997 Peter Raven Lifetime Achievement Award, St. Louis Academy of Science4
- 1999 Asteroid 6372 named Walker by International Astronomical Union47
- 2004 Doctor, honoris causa (posthumous), Washington University in St. Louis4
Life and career
- February 6, 1929, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1950 graduated from Union College with a degree in physics
- 1954 Ph.D. in physics, Yale University
- 1966 the McDonnell Professor of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis
- February 12, 2004 died in Brussels, Belgium stomach cancer
Personal life
Walker was married to the cosmochemist Ghislaine Crozaz.8
References
References
- R. L. Fleischer, P. Buford Price, and Robert M. Walker (1975) Nuclear Tracks in Solids (U. California Press, Berkeley).
- 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
- New York Times:PLANES SOAR INTO STRATOSPHERE TO SNARE BITS OF THE COSMIC PAST;page 2 of 3; May 11, 1982
- National Academies Press:National Academy of Sciences;Biographical Memoirs;Robert M. Walker;By P. Buford Price and Ernst Zinner
- Washington University in St. Louis;Robert M Walker;1929 - 2004
- New York Times:Union College:Robert M, walker, director of the laboratory for space physics
- "(6372) Walker". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer. 2003. p. 528. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_5826. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7.
- Sciences, National Academy of (2005). Biographical Memoirs: Volume 86. doi:10.17226/11429. ISBN 978-0-309-10369-5.