University of Chicago Launches Months-Long Commemoration of First Nuclear Reaction

Newswise — The University of Chicago is launching an ambitious commemoration of the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction—a landmark discovery 75 years ago that changed science, history and the world.

“Nuclear Reactions—1942: A Historic Breakthrough, an Uncertain Future” brings together perspectives from many fields—including the arts, energy, engineering, medicine, nuclear physics and policy—to assess the enormous effects of the experiment, which took place Dec. 2, 1942. The 75th anniversary provides an unusual opportunity to consider the meaning of the scientific feat and its complex legacy, including reflections from some of the last members of the generation that worked on the experiment.

Over the next two months, UChicago will explore the history of the experiment, its sweeping impact and the future of the enormous power it unleashed, which like all great power can be used for good or ill. The series, which features UChicago’s preeminent faculty together with experts from around the world, includes lectures, seminars, workshops, multimedia presentations, arts programs, an exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry and events involving Argonne National Laboratory.

The groundbreaking experiment continues to shape science, energy, medicine and foreign policy today. During the series, experts will explore subjects including how the experiment at UChicago launched the era of “big science” and the national laboratories, the changing role of scientists in public policy, and the futures of nuclear energy and nuclear medicine.  

“The first nuclear chain reaction was a scientific breakthrough that transformed the world,” said Eric D. Isaacs, Executive Vice President for Research, Innovation and National Laboratories at the University. “The University of Chicago is commemorating the historic experiment and delving into the impact it continues to have on science, public policy and culture.”

The first chain reaction was achieved at UChicago in the midst of World War II. A number of the world’s leading physicists, including Enrico Fermi and Arthur Holly Compton, came together for the top-secret experiment as part of the Manhattan Project. Their historic discovery under the bleachers at the University’s old Stagg Field ushered in the Atomic Age. An introduction to the work of the scientists and the discovery is captured in the following video produced by the University.

Upcoming Commemoration Events:

Oct. 19: Physics Colloquium: Big Sciences, which will explore how the experiment at UChicago continues to shape physics research today.

Oct. 26: Nuclear Energy and Technology—from 1942 to the 3rd Millennium, which is a discussion at Argonne National Laboratory of the history and future of nuclear energy and technology.

Nov. 1-Dec. 15: Lantern Pile, an art installation that provides an intimate space to view video documenting the creation of the experiment and the subsequent history of the nuclear era. The installation takes its shape from the roughly cubic form of the experiment.

Nov. 16: Physics Colloquium: Impact on University Research, which focuses on how the experiment shaped research programs at universities. 

Dec. 1-2: A range of events around the anniversary that include discussions with global experts and artistic performances, including the world premiere of the composition “Plea for Peace” by Augusta Read Thomas, University Professor of Composition in Music at UChicago.

For more information, please visit www.uchicago.edu/research/nuclear-reactions/ and https://www.facebook.com/uchicago/.