MacDonald, Gordon J. (Gordon James), 1929-2002-
Oral history interview with Gordon J. MacDonald, 1986 April 16.
Born in Mexico; interested in geology at a young age. Attended Harvard University, majoring in geology; formal physics education limited to half a term; early contacts with Edward M. Purcell, Julian R. Schwinger, and Nicolaas Bloembergen; James Thomson, Albert F. Burch, and George Kennedy most influential teachers; early interest in science policy. Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, exposure to computers; transition to University of California, Los Angeles, 1958; collaboration with Walter Munk on geophysics text; affiliations with NASA and Goddard Space Institute; director of Atmospheric Research Laboratory, 1960. Early JASON involvement after invitation from Murray Gell-Mann; hiatus from JASON, 1970-1977; concurrent involvement with PSAC; relations with fellow JASON members regarding ABM testimony and acid rain; JASON's transition from IDA to SRI and then to MITRE; technical advice and policy implications.
Bloembergen, N.
Burch, Albert F.
Gell-Mann, Murray.
Kennedy, George.
MacDonald, Gordon J. (Gordon James), 1929-2002
Munk, Walter H. (Walter Heinrich), 1917-
Purcell, Edward M.
Schwinger, Julian, 1918-1994.
Thomson, James.
Atmospheric Research Laboratory.
Goddard Space Flight Center.
Harvard University.
Institute for Defense Analyses.
JASON Defense Advisory Group
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mitre Corporation.
Stanford Research Institute.
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
United States. President's Science Advisory Committee
University of California, Los Angeles.
Acid rain.
Antimissile missiles.
Computers.
Geophysics.
Military policy.
Science and state.
Oral histories. aat
Interviews. aat
Sound recordings lcgft
Transcripts. aat
Aaserud, Finn interviewer.
AIP-ICOS
American Institute of Physics. Niels Bohr Library & Archives. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA