In Memoriam: S. Peter Rosen, Leading Physicist at Dept. of Energy

Over the weekend, the Ranter’s father passed away. Here is an obituary written by Neil Baggett, a close associate of Dr. S. Peter Rosen:

S. Peter Rosen, 73, a leading theoretical physicist, died on October 13, 2006 at his home in Rockville, MD. He had pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Rosen had been Senior Science Advisor to the Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science since 2003. He was Associate Director of the Office of Science for High Energy and Nuclear Physics from 1997 to 2003 and during that time was responsible for the principal U.S. research programs and facilities in these fields of physics. Major advances during his tenure included: the discovery that the neutrino has mass and oscillates among three types; the discovery that a mysterious “dark energy” makes up most of the universe; the construction of two new DOE research facilities that have already made fundamental discoveries about the first moments of the universe; and completion of an international agreement providing for U.S. participation in the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland (a vital resource for the U.S.).

A world authority on neutrino oscillations and neutrinoless double beta decay, Dr. Rosen was also a gifted teacher, graceful writer, and effective spokesman for the field of particle physics. For example, during the 2005 World Year of Physics, he wrote articles about the role of physics in science and engineering, delivered a lecture entitled “Einstein Made Easy,” and was instrumental in arranging for DOE support of two NOVA television programs: “The Elegant Universe” and “Einstein’s Big Idea.”

“Peter Rosen intuitively understood the value of humanizing science for the general public, of showing scientists as living and lively individuals with a special passion to understand the world around them,” said Paula Apsell, founder and Senior Executive Producer of NOVA. “Perhaps that’s because Peter was one of those people – an accomplished scientist and a wonderful person. In him, science and humanity mixed in a most appealing and important way.”

Peter Rosen was born August 4th, 1933 in London, England and became a naturalized American citizen in 1972. He studied theoretical physics at Merton College, Oxford University, earning a D.Phil in 1957. He began his career at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, moved to Midwestern Universities Research Association in Madison, Wisconsin, and spent a year as a NATO Fellow at Clarendon Laboratory in Oxford, England.

In 1962, Dr. Rosen joined Purdue University, where he was a physics professor until 1984. On leave from the university, he served as a theoretical physicist at two federal agencies: from 1975 to 1977 at the Energy Research and Development Administration and from 1981 to 1983 at the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Rosen was Associate Division Leader for Nuclear and Particle Physics of the Theoretical Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1983 to 1990 and Dean of Science at the University Texas at Arlington from 1990 to 1996.

Dr. Rosen served as Visiting Scientist at the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory and Visiting Professor at the University of Sussex, England. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. In 2000, he was named Professor Emeritus of the University of Texas at Arlington for his “years of excellence in teaching, internationally acclaimed research, and administrative service to the University.” In 2004, he was awarded an honorary degree by Purdue University for “fundamental contributions to our knowledge of the weak interactions in the areas of neutrinos and double beta decay, and for his vision and leadership in his oversight of the U.S. Elementary Particle Physics Program.” He published 92 scientific papers and 11 review articles, edited 2 books, and gave 32 invited talks at major conferences.

Dr. Rosen is survived by his wife of 19 years, Adrienne Rosen of Rockville; his son Daniel Rosen and his wife Heidi of Milwaukee, WI, his daughter Sarah Rosen of San Francisco, CA, his stepson Robert Hayes of Rockville, his stepdaughter Brooke York, her husband David, and their daughter, Megan, of Arlington, TX.

Donations in Dr. Rosen’s honor may be made to either the American Cancer Society or the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center.