Frederick Seitz (July 4, 1911 – March 2, 2008) was an American physicist, a pioneer of
solid state physics
Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as solid-state chemistry, quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state p ...
, and
climate change denier
Climate change denial (also global warming denial) is a form of science denial characterized by rejecting, refusing to acknowledge, disputing, or fighting the scientific consensus on climate change. Those promoting denial commonly use rhetor ...
. Seitz was the 4th president of
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a Private university, private Medical research, biomedical Research university, research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and pro ...
from 1968 to 1978, and the 17th president of 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 ...
from 1962 to 1969. Seitz was the recipient of the National Medal of Science, NASA's Distinguished Public Service Award, and other honors.
He founded the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at the
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...
and several other material research laboratories across the United States.
Seitz was also the founding chairman of the
George C. Marshall Institute.
Background and personal life
Seitz was born in San Francisco on July 4, 1911. His mother was also from San Francisco and his father, after whom he was named, was born in Germany. Seitz graduated from
Lick-Wilmerding High School
Lick-Wilmerding High School is a private college-preparatory high school located in San Francisco, California, United States.
History
Lick-Wilmerding High School was founded on September 21, 1874, as the California School of Mechanical Arts, a ...
in the middle of his senior year, and went on to study physics at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
obtaining his bachelor's degree in three years,
graduating in 1932.
He married Elizabeth K. Marshall on May 18, 1935.
Seitz died March 2, 2008, in New York.
He was survived by a son, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Early career
Seitz moved to
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 ...
to study
metal
A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
s under
Eugene Wigner
Eugene Paul Wigner (, ; November 17, 1902 – January 1, 1995) was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist who also contributed to mathematical physics. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963 "for his contributions to the theory of th ...
,
gaining his PhD in 1934.
He and Wigner pioneered one of the first
quantum theories of crystals, and developed concepts in
solid-state physics
Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as solid-state chemistry, quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state phy ...
such as the
Wigner–Seitz unit cell used in the study of
crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
line material in
solid-state physics
Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as solid-state chemistry, quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state phy ...
.
Academic career
After graduate studies, Seitz continued to work on solid state physics, publishing ''The Modern Theory of Solids'' in 1940, motivated by a desire to "write a cohesive account of the various aspects of solid-state physics in order to give the field the kind of unity it deserved". ''The Modern Theory of Solids'' helped unify and understand the relations between the fields of
metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys.
Metallurgy encompasses both the ...
,
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...
s, and
electronics
Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
. He was also a consultant on many
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 ...
-related projects in
metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys.
Metallurgy encompasses both the ...
,
radiation damage to solids and electronics amongst others. He, along with
Hillard Huntington, made the first calculation of the
energies of formation and migration of
vacancies and
interstitials in
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
, inspiring many works on
point defects in metals.
The scope of his published work ranged widely, also covering "
spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets electromagnetic spectra. In narrower contexts, spectroscopy is the precise study of color as generalized from visible light to all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Spectro ...
,
luminescence
Luminescence is a spontaneous emission of radiation from an electronically or vibrationally excited species not in thermal equilibrium with its environment. A luminescent object emits ''cold light'' in contrast to incandescence, where an obje ...
, plastic deformation, irradiation effects, physics of metals, self-diffusion, point defects in
metal
A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
s and
insulators
Insulator may refer to:
* Insulator (electricity), a substance that resists electricity
** Pin insulator, a device that isolates a wire from a physical support such as a pin on a utility pole
** Strain insulator, a device that is designed to work ...
, and science policy".
Early in his academic career, Seitz served on the faculty of the
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...
(1935–37)
and after an interlude as a research physicist at
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston.
Over the year ...
Laboratories (1937–39)
he was at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
(1939–1942) and then the
Carnegie Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...
(1942–49).
From 1946 to 1947, Seitz was director of the training program in atomic energy at
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1943, the laboratory is sponsored by the United Sta ...
. He was appointed professor of physics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1949, becoming chairman of the department in 1957 and dean and vice-president for research in 1964. Seitz also served as an advisor to
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
.
From 1962 to 1969 Seitz served as president of the
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, 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 Nati ...
(NAS), in a full-time capacity from 1965.
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, 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 Nati ...
, 7 March 2008
Past NAS President Frederick Seitz Dies at 96
As NAS president he initiated the
Universities Research Association
The Universities Research Association (URA) is a non-profit association of more than 90 research universities, primarily but not exclusively in the United States. It has members also in Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1965 ...
, which contracted with the
Atomic Energy Commission to construct the world's largest
particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel electric charge, charged particles to very high speeds and energies to contain them in well-defined particle beam, beams. Small accelerators are used for fundamental ...
at the time,
Fermilab
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), located in Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a United States Department of Energy United States Department of Energy National Labs, national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle phys ...
.
He was the president of
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a Private university, private Medical research, biomedical Research university, research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and pro ...
from 1968 to 1978 during which he helped to launch new research programs in
molecular biology
Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...
,
cell biology
Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living an ...
, and
neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, ...
as well as creating a joint MD-PhD program with
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
.
He retired from Rockefeller University in 1979, when he was made President Emeritus.
Consultancy career
After Seitz published a paper on the darkening of crystals,
DuPont
Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to:
People
* Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
asked him in 1939 for help with a problem they were having with the stability of
chrome yellow. He became "deeply involved" in their research efforts. Among other things, he investigated the possible use of non-toxic
silicon carbide
Silicon carbide (SiC), also known as carborundum (), is a hard chemical compound containing silicon and carbon. A wide bandgap semiconductor, it occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite, but has been mass-produced as a powder a ...
as a white pigment.
Seitz was a director of
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American multinational semiconductor company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It is one of the top 10 semiconductor companies worldwide based on sales volume. The company's focus is on developing analog ...
(1971–1982) and of
Akzona Corporation (1973–1982).
Shortly before his 1979 retirement from
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a Private university, private Medical research, biomedical Research university, research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and pro ...
, Seitz began working as a permanent consultant for the
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, advising their medical research program until 1988.
Reynolds had previously provided "very generous" support for biomedical work at Rockefeller. Seitz later wrote that "The money was all spent on basic science, medical science," and pointed to Reynolds-funded research on
mad cow disease
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is an incurable and always fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Symptoms include abnormal behavior, trouble walking, and weight loss. Later in the course of th ...
and
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
.
Nonetheless, later academic studies of tobacco industry influence concluded that Seitz, who helped allocate $45m of Reynolds' research funding, "played a key role... in helping the tobacco industry produce uncertainty concerning the health impacts of smoking." According to a tobacco industry memo from 1989, Seitz was described by an employee of
Philip Morris International
Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is a multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. Marlboro is PMI’s most recognized brand, but in the last quarter of 2023, Iqos generated the greatest revenue. Philip Mor ...
as "quite elderly and not sufficiently rational to offer advice."
In 1984 Seitz was the founding chairman of the
George C. Marshall Institute,
The Independent Institute
The Independent Institute is an American libertarian think tank founded in 1986 by David J. Theroux and based in Oakland, California. The institute has more than 140 research fellows and is organized into seven centers addressing a range of pol ...
Research Fellow: Frederick Seitz
Retrieved 15 September 2010. and was its chairman until 2001.
[George C. Marshall Institute, ] The Institute was founded to argue for President Reagan's
Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic nuclear missiles. The program was announced in 1983, by President Ronald Reagan. Reagan called for a ...
,
[Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, 10 August 2010,]
Distorting Science While Invoking Science
", ''Science Progress'' but "in the 1990s it branched out to become one of the leading
think tank
A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
s trying to debunk the science of climate change." A 1990 report co-authored with Institute co-founders
Robert Jastrow and
William Nierenberg "centrally informed the
Bush administration's position on human-induced climate change". The Institute also promoted
environmental skepticism more generally. In 1994, the Institute published a paper by Seitz titled ''Global warming and ozone hole controversies: A challenge to scientific judgment.'' Seitz questioned the view that
CFCs "are the greatest threat to the
ozone layer
The ozone layer or ozone shield is a region of Earth's stratosphere that absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation. It contains a high concentration of ozone (O3) in relation to other parts of the a ...
".
In the same paper, commenting on the dangers of secondary inhalation of tobacco smoke, he concluded "''there is no good scientific evidence that passive inhalation is truly dangerous under normal circumstances.''"
Seitz was a central figure amongst
global warming deniers.
He was the highest-ranking scientist among a band of doubters who, beginning in the early 1990s, resolutely disputed suggestions that global warming was serious threat.
Seitz argued that the science behind global warming was inconclusive and "''certainly didn't warrant imposing mandatory limits on greenhouse-gas emissions''".
[Hertsgaard, Mark (May 2006)]
While Washington Slept
'' Vanity Fair''. In 2001 Seitz and Jastrow questioned whether
global warming
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...
is
anthropogenic
Anthropogenic ("human" + "generating") is an adjective that may refer to:
* Anthropogeny, the study of the origins of humanity
Anthropogenic may also refer to things that have been generated by humans, as follows:
* Human impact on the enviro ...
.
Seitz signed the 1995
Leipzig Declaration and, in an open letter inviting scientists to sign the
Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine's
global warming petition, called for the United States to reject the
Kyoto Protocol
The was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that global warming is oc ...
.
The letter was accompanied by a 12-page article on climate change which followed a style and format nearly identical to that of a contribution to
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America'' (often abbreviated ''PNAS'' or ''PNAS USA'') is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary scientific journal. It is the official journal of the National Academy of Scie ...
(PNAS), a scientific journal,
even including a date of publication ("October 26") and volume number ("Vol. 13: 149–164 1999"), but was not actually a publication of the National Academy of Science (NAS). In response the
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, 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 Nati ...
took what the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called "the extraordinary step of refuting the position of one
fits former presidents."
The NAS also made it clear that "The petition does not reflect the conclusions of expert reports of the Academy."
Seitz worked extensively with
Fred Singer during his consultancy career for tobacco and oil corporations in matters of health and climate change, respectively.
Publishing
Seitz wrote a range of scientific books in his field, including ''The Modern Theory of Solids'' (1940) and ''The Physics of Metals'' (1943). Later he co-authored books such as the ''Theory of Lattice Dynamics in the Harmonic Approximation'' (1971) and ''Solid State Physics''. The latter, begun in 1955, with
David Turnbull, reached 60 volumes by 2008, with Seitz remaining an active editor until volume 38 in 1984.
''Solid State Physics'' continues to be published by Elsevier. After his retirement he co-authored a book on
global warming
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...
, published via the
George C. Marshall Institute he chaired. He published his autobiography in 1994. Other works included biographies of American physicist
Francis Wheeler Loomis (1991) and Canadian inventor
Reginald Fessenden
Reginald Aubrey Fessenden (October 6, 1866 – July 22, 1932) was a Canadian-American electrical engineer and inventor who received hundreds of List of Reginald Fessenden patents, patents in fields related to radio and sonar between 1891 and 1936 ...
(1999), a history of
silicon
Silicon is a chemical element; it has symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic lustre, and is a tetravalent metalloid (sometimes considered a non-metal) and semiconductor. It is a membe ...
, and a history of the US National Academy of Sciences (2007).
Criticism
In the early 1970s, Seitz became unpopular for his support of the Vietnam war, a position which most of his colleagues on the
President's Science Advisory Committee
The President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC) was created on November 21, 1957, by President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower, as a direct response to the Soviet launching of the Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 satellites. PSAC was an upgra ...
did not share. In the late 1970s, Seitz also parted company with his scientific colleagues on questions of nuclear preparedness. Seitz was committed to "a muscular military strengthened by the most technologically advanced weaponry", while the scientific community generally supported arms limitations talks and treaties. Seitz was also ardently
anti-communist
Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
and his support for aggressive weapons programs was a reflection of this.
[Oreskes, Naomi and Conway, Erik M. (2010). '' Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming'', Bloomsbury, pp. 25–29.]
In their book ''
Merchants of Doubt'', science historians
Naomi Oreskes
Naomi Oreskes (; born November 25, 1958) is an American historian of science. She became Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University in 2013, after 15 years as Professor of H ...
and
Erik M. Conway state that Seitz and a group of other scientists fought the scientific evidence and spread confusion on many of the most important issues of the 20th and 21st centuries like harmfulness of
tobacco smoke,
acid rain
Acid rain is rain or any other form of Precipitation (meteorology), precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). Most water, including drinking water, has a neutral pH that exists b ...
,
CFCs,
pesticides
Pesticides are substances that are used to pest control, control pest (organism), pests. They include herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, and many others (see table). The most common of these are herbicides, which account for a ...
and
global warming
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...
. Seitz said that American science had become "rigid", and his colleagues had become closed-minded and dogmatic. According to Oreskes and Conway, Seitz used normal uncertainties of scientific evidence to spread doubt about the harmfulness of tobacco smoke.
Seitz was also a principal organizer of the infamous
Oregon Petition, where numerous signatories claimed that there was no evidence that greenhouse gases were responsible for global warming. Despite Seitz being a past President of the US
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 ...
, the NAS issued a press release stating "The petition project was a deliberate attempt to mislead scientists and to rally them in an attempt to undermine support for the Kyoto Protocol. The petition was not based on a review of the science of global climate change, nor were its signers experts in the field of climate science." Journalists subsequently found that the identities of the vast majority of signatories could not be verified, because the petition's organizers had no process for identity authentication. Further, the supposed scientific article that claimed to refute global warming (and which accompanied the petition) was in fact a non-peer reviewed article from
the "Journal of the
American Association of Physicians and Surgeons", which was published by Arthur Robinson, the petition's co-organizer. This journal advocates scientifically discredited viewpoints such as claiming that there is no connection between the HIV virus and AIDS, and is not indexed in
PubMed
PubMed is an openly accessible, free database which includes primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institute ...
.
Oreskes and Conway were critical of Seitz's involvement in the tobacco industry. They stated that Seitz stood against the scientific consensus that smoking was dangerous to people's health, and helped to create confusion and doubt on this issue.
Awards and recognition
Seitz was elected to 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 1946. He was elected to the
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, 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 Nati ...
in 1952, serving as its President from 1962 to 1969.
He was elected to the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
in 1962. He received the
Franklin Medal
The Franklin Medal was a science award presented from 1915 until 1997 by the Franklin Institute located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country ...
(1965). In 1973 he was awarded the
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral science, behavior ...
"for his contributions to the modern quantum theory of the solid state of matter."
He also received the United States Department of Defense Distinguished Service Award; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Distinguished Public Service Award; and the Compton Award, the highest honor of the American Institute of Physics.
In addition to Rockefeller University, 31 universities in the US and abroad awarded Seitz honorary degrees.
[Rockefeller University, 4 March 2008]
Frederick Seitz – Lounsberry director and past president – dies at 96.
He was also a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...
.
Seitz served on a range of boards of charitable institutions, including (as chair)
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation is a private foundation formed in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died on April 26, 1922. The organization awards Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are Gr ...
(1976–1983
) and
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation,
and (as trustee)
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...
(from 1975
) and
Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is an American 501(c) non-profit organization that focuses on international student exchange and aid, foreign affairs, and international peace and security. IIE creates programs of study and training ...
.
[Rockefeller University]
Biography of Frederick Seitz
, November 1985 He was also a board member of the
Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. From its founding in 1962 until 1987, it was an affiliate of Georgetown University, initially named the Center for Strategic and Inte ...
.
Other appointments to a range of national and international agencies included serving on the
Defense Science Board and serving as chair of the US delegation to the United Nations Committee on Science and Technology.
He also served on the board of trustees of Science Service, now known as
Society for Science & the Public
Society for Science, formerly known as Science Service and later Society for Science and the Public, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of science, through its science education programs and publications, including ...
, from 1971 to 1974.
In 1981, Seitz became a founding member of the
World Cultural Council
The World Cultural Council is an international organization whose goals are to promote cultural values, goodwill and philanthropy among individuals. The organization founded in 1982 and based in Mexico, has held a yearly award ceremony since 198 ...
.
Positions held
''Academic''
*
Carnegie Tech, head of the physics department (1946–?)
*
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
, professor of physics (1949–1964)
*
American Institute of Physics
The American Institute of Physics (AIP) promotes science and the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies. Its corpora ...
, chairman (1954–1959)
*
Academic Press
Academic Press (AP) is an academic book publisher founded in 1941. It launched a British division in the 1950s. Academic Press was acquired by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1969. Reed Elsevier said in 2000 it would buy Harcourt, a deal complete ...
, editor (1955–1984)
*
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...
, (1959–1960)
*
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 ...
, chairman (1961)
*
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, 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 Nati ...
, president (1962–1969)
*
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a Private university, private Medical research, biomedical Research university, research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and pro ...
, president emeritus (1968–1978)
*
Physica Status Solidi B, editorial board member
''Private sector''
*
George C. Marshall Institute, co-founder, chairman (1984–2001)
*
Richard Lounsbery Foundation, president (1995–1997),
[The International Who's Who 2004]
Europa Publications chairman (since 1998)
*
Science and Environmental Policy Project, chair (?–?)
[Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP) Board of Directors](_blank)
, accessed 19 Sep 2010
*
Advancement of Sound Science Center, member of advisory board
['']New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', 26 April 1998
Industrial Group Plans to Battle Climate Treaty
Books
* Frederick Seitz,
A matrix-algebraic development of the crystallographic groups', Princeton University, 1934
* Frederick Seitz,
The modern theory of solids', McGraw-Hill, 1940
* Frederick Seitz,
The physics of metals', McGraw-Hill, 1943
*
Robert Jastrow,
William Aaron Nierenberg, Frederick Seitz,
Global warming: what does the science tell us?', George C. Marshall Institute, 1990
* Robert Jastrow, William Aaron Nierenberg, Frederick Seitz,
Scientific perspectives on the greenhouse problem', Marshall Press, 1990
* Frederick Seitz,
Francis Wheeler Loomis: August 4, 1889 – February 9, 1976', National Academy Press, 1991
*
*
Nikolaus Riehl
Nikolaus Vasilyevich Riehl (; 1901 — 2 August 1990) was a German nuclear chemist of Russian-Jewish descent. Before the fall of Berlin, he was director of the scientific headquarters of the Auergesellschaft AG, and was taken to the Sovie ...
and Frederick Seitz, ''Stalin's Captive: Nikolaus Riehl and the Soviet Race for the Bomb'' (American Chemical Society and the Chemical Heritage Foundations, 1996) .
: This book is a translation of Nikolaus Riehl's book ''Zehn Jahre im goldenen Käfig (Ten Years in a Golden Cage)'' (Riederer-Verlag, 1988); but Seitz wrote a lengthy introduction. It contains 58 photographs.
* Frederick Seitz and Norman G. Einspruch,
Electronic genie: the tangled history of silicon',
University of Illinois Press
The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois System. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, thirty-three scholarly journals, and several electroni ...
, 1998.
* Frederick Seitz,
The science matrix: the journey, travails, triumphs', Springer, 1998.
* Frederick Seitz,
The cosmic inventor Reginald Aubrey Fessenden (1866–1932)', American Philosophical Society, 1999
* Henry Ehrenreich, Frederick Seitz,
David Turnbull, Frans Spaepen,
Solid state physics',
Academic Press
Academic Press (AP) is an academic book publisher founded in 1941. It launched a British division in the 1950s. Academic Press was acquired by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1969. Reed Elsevier said in 2000 it would buy Harcourt, a deal complete ...
, 2006
* Frederick Seitz,
A selection of highlights from the history of the National Academy of Sciences, 1863–2005', University Press of America, 2007.
See also
* Seitz's criticism of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change:
*
Wigner–Seitz radius
*
Wigner–Seitz cell
References
Further reading
* Chiroleu‐Assouline, Mireille, and Thomas P. Lyon. "Merchants of doubt: Corporate political action when NGO credibility is uncertain." ''Journal of Economics & Management Strategy'' 29.2 (2020): 439–461
online* De la Cruz Arboleda, Camilo Andrés. "Climate Change in the Era of Post-Truth." ''Ecology Law Quarterly'' 45.2 (2018): 419–426
online* Dunlap, Riley E., and Aaron M. McCright. "Climate change denial: sources, actors and strategies." in ''Routledge handbook of climate change and society'' (2010): 240–259
online.
* Mann, Michael E. ''The new climate war: The fight to take back our planet'' (PublicAffairs, 2021
* Oreskes, Naomi, and Erik M. Conway. ''Merchants of doubt: How a handful of scientists obscured the truth on issues from tobacco smoke to global warming'' (Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2011).
* Pinto, Manuela Fernandez. "To know or better not to: Agnotology and the social construction of ignorance in commercially driven research." ''Science & Technology Studies'' 30.2 (2017): 53–72
External links
Obituary in ''The Times'', 11 March 2008President Emeritus Frederick Seitz dies at 96Rockefeller University Newswire)
The George C. Marshall Institute: A Conversation with Dr. Frederick Seitz– September 3, 1997
SourceWatch articleVanity Fair article discussing Seitz's advocacy for tobacco and oil industries* (TCS Daily, April 14, 2006): rebuttal to Seitz article in Vanity Fair
*
Notes on Seitz's work on health studies funded by the tobacco industry and on global warming for Exxon Mobil front organizations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seitz, Frederick
1911 births
2008 deaths
20th-century American physicists
American people of German descent
National Medal of Science laureates
Vannevar Bush Award recipients
Presidents of Rockefeller University
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Presidents of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Founding members of the World Cultural Council
George C. Marshall Institute
Presidents of the American Physical Society
Fellows of the American Physical Society
Members of the American Philosophical Society
Lick-Wilmerding High School alumni
Recipients of Franklin Medal