In addition to serving as director of a major Department of Energy laboratory, he also became known in his later years for other contributions to academic and public life.
Atomic element 94 was named “plutonium” after Pluto, the ninth planet from the Sun (now demoted to “minor planet” status.) By tradition, plutonium should have been assigned the symbol “Pl,” but co-discoverer Glenn Seaborg gave it the symbol “Pu” as
Drawn by the chance to help answer the most fundamental questions about the universe, philanthropists are starting to make significant investments in physics research.
Supercomputers can play chess, map DNA, and aid in the study of dark energy. But recently they were unleashed on a bold new frontier: optimizing the production of potato chips.