Michael W. Friedlander
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Michael Wulf Friedlander (November 15, 1928 – April 29, 2021) was a South African-born 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 ...
and
skeptic Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the ...
. Friedlander was Professor Emeritus of physics 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 ...
. His research involved the study of
cosmic rays Cosmic rays are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar System in our ow ...
and
gamma ray astronomy Gamma-ray astronomy is the astronomical observation of gamma rays,Astronomical literature generally hyphenates "gamma-ray" when used as an adjective, but uses "gamma ray" without a hyphen for the noun. the most energetic form of electromagnet ...
. He is the author of the book ''At The Fringes Of Science'' (1998), a scholarly study of
fringe science Fringe science refers to ideas whose attributes include being highly speculative or relying on premises already refuted. Fringe science theories are often advanced by persons who have no traditional academic science background, or by researchers ...
. The book is notable for its criticism of the ideas of
Immanuel Velikovsky Immanuel Velikovsky (; rus, Иммануи́л Велико́вский, p=ɪmənʊˈil vʲɪlʲɪˈkofskʲɪj; 17 November 1979) was a Jewish, Russian-American psychoanalyst, writer, and catastrophist. He is the author of several books offering ...
.


Education and career

Friedlander was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1928. He attained his BSc in Physics and Applied mathematics at the
University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...
in 1948, followed by a MSc (Physics, First Class) in 1950. He served as a junior lecturer in physics at the University of Cape Town from 1951 to 1952. He went to London to pursue a PhD at the
University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...
where he was appointed as a research associate from 1954 to 1956. While at the University of Bristol he jointly published with
M. G. K. Menon Mambillikalathil Govind Kumar Menon (28 August 1928 – 22 November 2016) also known as M. G. K. Menon, was a physicist and policy maker from India. He had a prominent role in the development of science and technology in India over four ...
the discovery of
beta decay In nuclear physics, beta decay (β-decay) is a type of radioactive decay in which a beta particle (fast energetic electron or positron) is emitted from an atomic nucleus, transforming the original nuclide to an isobar of that nuclide. For ...
of the
kaon KAON (Karlsruhe ontology) is an ontology infrastructure developed by the University of Karlsruhe and the Research Center for Information Technologies in Karlsruhe. Its first incarnation was developed in 2002 and supported an enhanced version of ...
and the first precision measurement of the mass of the lambda-zero hyperon. In 1955 he completed his PhD (Physics) at the University of Bristol. He joined the physics department of
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 ...
in August 1956 and was appointed Assistant Professor and later Associate Professor of Physics. His aim was to replicate the Cosmic Ray Laboratory in which he had worked in Bristol. He investigated the elemental composition of light
cosmic ray Cosmic rays are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar System in our own ...
s through studies of nuclear-emulsions obtained from high-altitude balloons. In 1967 he was appointed Professor of Physics at Washington University. During the late 1960s, in collaboration with colleagues Joseph Klarmann and
Robert M. Walker Robert Michael "Mike" Walker (born September 14, 1948) is the former United States Under Secretary of the Army (1997-1998). Biography Walker was born in Martin, Tennessee, in 1948. He attended Westview High School (Tennessee), Martin High Schoo ...
he studied the very rare ultra-heavy cosmic rays with
atomic number The atomic number or nuclear charge number (symbol ''Z'') of a chemical element is the charge number of an atomic nucleus. For ordinary nuclei, this is equal to the proton number (''n''p) or the number of protons found in the nucleus of every ...
greater than 26. He also investigated the effects of cosmic ray particles in dust and gas surrounding the stellar system
Eta Carinae Eta Carinae (η Carinae, abbreviated to η Car), formerly known as Eta Argus, is a stellar system containing at least two stars with a combined luminosity greater than five million times that of the Sun, located around distant in th ...
. His interest in public understanding of science led him to establish the Saturday Science series of lectures aimed at the general public in 1994. He coordinated talks by colleagues and himself on a wide array of physics and other science topics. He continued to organize these lectures until he had to withdraw in 2015 due to failing health. Friedlander was a member of the Greater St. Louis Citizens’ Committee for Nuclear Information that initiated the
Baby Tooth Survey The Baby Tooth Survey was initiated by the Greater St. Louis Citizens' Committee for Nuclear Information in conjunction with Saint Louis University and the Washington University School of Dental Medicine as a means of determining the effects of nuc ...
. In this survey the baby teeth of school children, donated by the parents, were analysed to determine if children living near US bomb-test sites in the 1950s had been exposed to more radioactive strontium-90 than was usual. Friedlander also served as interim chairman for the department of music at Washington University from 1984 to 1986.


Criticism of pseudoscience

Besides authoring the book ''At The Fringes Of Science'', Friedlander also gave critical lectures opposing pseudoscience and, in particular, the pseudohistorical and pseudoscientific theories of
Immanuel Velikovsky Immanuel Velikovsky (; rus, Иммануи́л Велико́вский, p=ɪmənʊˈil vʲɪlʲɪˈkofskʲɪj; 17 November 1979) was a Jewish, Russian-American psychoanalyst, writer, and catastrophist. He is the author of several books offering ...
, such as Velikovsky's theory that the Earth had suffered catastrophic close contacts with Venus and Mars in ancient history, which Velikovsky published in ''Worlds in Collision''. One such lecture was in November 1972 at the Philosophy of Science Association at a session entitled "Velikovsky and the Politics of Science". On this occasion, Immanuel Velikovsky and two of his supporters Lynn Rose and Antionette M. Patterson were present and also gave presentations.


Recognition

Friedlander was a
Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the a ...
and Visiting Professor at
Imperial College, London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a c ...
from 1962 to 1963. In 1975 he received the Alumni award for Teaching from Washington University. In 1993 he was awarded the Kemper Award for Innovative Teaching at Washington University. In October 1999 Washington University created the Michael Friedlander Scholarship for undergraduate students.


Selected publications

* * * * ''At The Fringes of Science'' was critically reviewed by Brian Martin in 1995. The review is full of praise for the book and includes phrases such as "This is the sort of book that many scientists might write if they investigated the issues and learned to communicate effectively to nonscientists." The review is critical of Friedlander's "dismissal of constructivism" in favour of "conventional positivist views about science."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedlander, Michael W. 1928 births 2021 deaths Washington University in St. Louis faculty Washington University physicists 21st-century American physicists American skeptics Critics of parapsychology Cosmic ray physicists