by Erin Lamb
Special Projects Reporter

The University routinely makes national headlines ­ in political science, medicine and in international affairs. But what about the lesser-known events? For a decade and a half, during the dawn of the nuclear age, the University was on the cutting edge of theoretical physics ­ the beginnings of nuclear fission. From 1934 until 1947, with the exception of the war years, the University, led by Drs. George Gamow and Edward Teller, hosted the Washington Conferences on Theoretical Physics.

University President Cloyd Heck Marvin handpicked Gamow and Teller to revamp GW¹s sagging science department. Both men were renowned in the worlds of theoretical physics and astrophysics.

At the young age of 23, Gamow had applied quantam mechanics to the nucleus of an atom, effectively decaying the nucleus ­ one of the first steps toward nuclear fission. Teller¹s work in molecular structure allowed physicists such as Gamow to conduct their experiments.

Gamow stipulated that the University would have a science conference each year during his tenure, and so the Washington Conferences on Theoretical Physics were created. The conferences attracted the brightest minds in science. During the 1938 conference, Teller and Gamow made the important decision to combine theoretical physics and astrophysics. In the final summary Gamow wrote, "Several specific contributions had been made toward formulating the next line of attack on the problems of stellar energy from the points of view of both physics and astronomy."

His words would prove prophetic. At the 1939 conference, German physicist Dr. Niels Bohr announced in a small room on the second floor of the Hall of Government that the nuclear age had begun. Physicists in Germany had disintegrated uranium into barium, resulting in the release of approximately 200 million electron volts of energy.

According to Gamow¹s records, pandemonium erupted at this point. "Bohr and Fermi, both armed with chalk, started an animated discussion near the blackboard, and Tuve, recognizing that this discussion might be of paramount importance for war purposes, politely showed out the two newspapermen covering the meeting."

Within days, "nuclear fission" had been leaked to the press; all the men at the meeting soon were working on the Manhattan Project, the U.S. government¹s quest to build a nuclear bomb. Later, many of those scientists, including Teller, helped develop the hydrogen bomb ­ and all were in Washington because President Marvin worked to recruit an award-winning science department.