Edward Allan Frieman (January 19, 1926 – April 11, 2013) was an American physicist who worked on

plasma physics Plasma () is a state of matter characterized by the presence of a significant portion of charged particles in any combination of ions or electrons. It is the most abundant form of ordinary matter in the universe, mostly in stars (including th ...

and

nuclear fusion Nuclear fusion is a nuclear reaction, reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei combine to form a larger nuclei, nuclei/neutrons, neutron by-products. The difference in mass between the reactants and products is manifested as either the rele ...

. He was the director of the

Scripps Institution of Oceanography Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is the center for oceanography and Earth science at the University of California, San Diego. Its main campus is located in La Jolla, with additional facilities in Point Loma. Founded in 1903 and incorpo ...

from 1986 through 1996, and then the senior vice president of science and technology at the

Science Applications International Corporation Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC) is an American technology company headquartered in Reston, Virginia that provides government services and information technology support. History 20th century The original SAIC was cr ...

from 1996 on until his death in 2013.

Early life and career

Frieman was born in New York in 1926. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served as a deep-sea diving officer and was a participant in the atomic tests at

Bikini Atoll Bikini Atoll ( or ; Marshallese language, Marshallese: , , ), known as Eschscholtz Atoll between the 19th century and 1946, is a coral reef in the Marshall Islands consisting of 23 islands surrounding a central lagoon. The atoll is at the no ...

. After the war,

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

granted him a bachelor's degree in engineering in 1946. He then received his master's and doctorate degrees in physics from the

Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United St ...

in 1948 and 1951 respectively. Frieman spent 25 years at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, becoming a professor of astrophysical science in 1961. It was during this period of time where he was noted to have advised Charles Kennel on his doctoral thesis. In 1979, he was nominated by President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

to be the director of

Office of Science The Office of Science is a component of the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The Office of Science is the lead federal agency supporting fundamental scientific research for energy and the Nation’s largest supporter of basic research in ...

within the

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear w ...

. He served in the position from 1980 to 1981. In 1981, he became an executive vice president of the

, a high-tech company in La Jolla. In 1986, Frieman became the director of the

, a research institution at the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

. Frieman also served on the boards of the

American University in Paris The American University of Paris (AUP) is a private university in Paris, France. Founded in 1962, the university is one of the oldest American institutions of higher education in Europe, and the first to be established in France. The university ...

and the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation.

Awards and honors

In 1962, Frieman was elected a fellow of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...

(APS) and then inducted into the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

in 1981. He was elected a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1990. In 2002, Frieman was awarded the

James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics The James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics is an annual American Physical Society (APS) award that is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of the Plasma Physics. It was established in 1975 by Maxwell Technologies, I ...

by APS.

Personal Life

Frieman is the father of theoretical astrophysicist

Joshua A. Frieman Joshua A. Frieman is a theoretical astrophysicist who lives and works in the United States. He is a senior scientist at Fermilab and a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago. Frieman is known for his work studying d ...

References

External links

Oral history interview transcript with Edward Frieman in 25 June 1986, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives

Oral history interview transcript with Edward Frieman in June 2004, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
* ''Charles F. Kennel''
Edward A. Frieman. Biographical Memoirs
// PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY VOL. 160, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Frieman, Edward A. 1926 births 2013 deaths Plasma physicists American physicists Members of JASON (advisory group) Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences United States Department of Energy officials Carter administration personnel Members of the American Philosophical Society Fellows of the American Physical Society