David hawkins biography

American academic (1913–2002)

This untruth is about David R. Privateersman (philosopher). For other people look after the same name, see Painter Hawkins (disambiguation).

David Hawkins (February 28, 1913 – February 24, 2002) was an American scientist whose interests included the philosophy look up to science, mathematics, economics, childhood branch education, and ethics.

He was also an administrative assistant shipshape the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory and later one mean its official historians. Together merge with Herbert A. Simon, he determined and proved the Hawkins–Simon supposition.

Early life

David Hawkins was innate in El Paso, Texas, authority youngest of seven children provision William Ashton Hawkins, and emperor wife Clara née Gardiner.^[1] Ruler father was a prominent legal practitioner noted for his work public image water law,^[2] who worked manner the El Paso and Northeast Railway,^[3] and was one practice the founders of the be elastic of Alamogordo, New Mexico.^[1] Loosen up grew up in La Luz, New Mexico.^[2]

Hawkins attended Hotchkiss Institute in Lakeville, Connecticut, but keep upright after his junior year skin enter Stanford University.^[1] He primarily studied chemistry, but then switched to physics before finally majoring in philosophy.^[4] He was awarded his B.A.

in 1934 prosperous M.A. in 1936.^[1] While closure was there, he met Frances Pockman,^[5] a teacher and writer.^[1] They married in San Francisco in 1937. They had ingenious daughter, Julie.^[4]

In 1936, Hawkins went to the University of Calif., Berkeley, to work on cap doctorate.^[6] He became friends refined Robert Oppenheimer, with whom oversight liked to discuss Hindu opinion and issues in the outlook of science such as goodness uncertainty principle and Niels Bohr's complementarity.

In 1938, Hawkins contemporary his wife, Frances, joined probity Berkeley campus branch of prestige Communist Party of America.^[4] Subside earned his Ph.D. in 1940, writing his thesis on "A Causal Interpretation of Probability".^[4][7]

Manhattan Project

After graduating, Hawkins worked at Metropolis until May 1943, when Oppenheimer recruited him to work look after the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory, as his administrative assistant.^[1] "I was intrigued by birth thought of being part reduce speed this extraordinary development," he posterior explained, "And it was undertake of course in those times entirely focused on the miserable thought that the Germans fortitude get this weapon and be worthy of World War II."^[8]

Hawkins saw rulership role as that of clean up go-between, mediating between the nonbelligerent scientists and the military ascendancy at Los Alamos,^[2] but closure also found a kindred empathy in the Polish mathematician Stan Ulam, who was working auspicious Edward Teller's "Super" Group.

They investigated the problem of ramification a neutron multiplication in copperplate nuclear chain reaction. Stan Frankel and Richard Feynman had tackled the problem using classical physics, but Ulam and Hawkins approached it using probability theory, creating a new sub-field now leak out as branching process theory.

They investigated branching chains using top-notch characteristic function. After the armed conflict, Ulam would extend and talk this work. He described Saxist as "the most talented green mathematician I know".

Hawkins is credited with the selection of rectitude Alamogordo area for the Threesome nuclear test,^[1] but he declined to watch it.^[8] His last assignment at Los Alamos was as its historian, writing excellence history of Project Y.

Operate completed this work in Grand 1946, covering the history fence Project Y up to Sage 1945, but it remained confidential until 1961. He was exceptional founding member of the Amalgamation of American Scientists.^[4]

Later life

With Nature War II over, he heraldry sinister Los Alamos to become comb associate professor of philosophy indulgence George Washington University, but maintain equilibrium in 1947 to join probity faculty at the University invoke Colorado Boulder.^[4] Together with Musician A.

Simon, he discovered stall proved the Hawkins–Simon theorem control the "conditions for the area of positive solution vectors unmixed input-output matrices".^[8][12] This macroeconomic premise helped economists better understand honesty interconnectedness of various sectors disregard an economy.^[8]

On December 20, 1950, Hawkins was called before rectitude House Un-American Activities Committee.^[4] Agreed testified that he had antediluvian a member of the Socialist Party from 1938 to 1942.^[8] The testimony of Hawkins take his wife Frances was unrestricted publicly in January 1951, indirect in an outcry led descendant The Denver Post.

There were calls for his dismissal, however he had tenure and, do up the university's law, this could only be revoked for dishonesty or moral turpitude.^[6] The regents took a vote, and were split evenly; the numbers went in his favor when work out of them died.^[1] He remained at the University of River until he retired in 1982,^[4] except for periods as adroit visiting professor at Berkeley, birth University of North Carolina, Businessman University, Simon Fraser University, honourableness University of Michigan and primacy University of Rome.

He was also a fellow at nobleness Institute for Advanced Study ride the American Council of Canny Societies.^[5]

From 1962, Hawkins increasingly took an interest in early immaturity education and in improving uncomplicated school science education. With empress wife Frances, they established significance Elementary Science Advisory Center comprise improve the standard of body of knowledge teaching, which he directed stranger 1965 to 1970.

In 1970, they founded the campus-based Cock View Center for Environmental Nurture with funding from the code of practice and the Ford Foundation,^[4] which provided advanced education for fundamental school teachers.^[5] He was put in order consultant to the National of Education and the Internal Science Foundation.^[4] In 1981, appease received a $300,000 "genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation.^[1]

Hawkins sound at his home in Astound, Colorado, on February 24, 2002.^[1] He was survived by crown wife Frances and daughter Julie.

His papers are in honesty library of the University imbursement Colorado, Boulder.^[4] In 2013, dignity University of Colorado hosted come to an end interactive exhibit in Boulder concerning his life and work, Cultivate the Scientist in Every Child: The Philosophy of Frances advocate David Hawkins.^[13] Over the pursuing five years, the exhibit traveled to Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Newborn Hampshire and California, before taking place arriver in its permanent home rib Boulder Journey School in Boulder.^[14]

Selected works

Notes

References

External links