I have not seen the movie but plan on doing so. Today wifey and I attended the Oppenheimer panel discussion at the Berkeley Campus.
"A 25-year-old J. Robert Oppenheimer arrived at UC Berkeley in fall 1929 as an assistant professor, and over the next dozen years established one of the greatest schools of theoretical physics in the U.S. — one that continues to this day. He made UC Berkeley’s physics department the center of American thought about the new field of quantum mechanics and how to apply it to atoms, nuclei and even neutron stars."
I highly recommend reviewing the panel; an impressive group for sure. When they introduced Dr. Mark Chadwick, Chief Scientist & Chief Operating Officer for the Weapons Physics Associate Laboratory Directorate, ALDX, at Los Alamos, I was pretty impressed. The others as well...
Dr. Carson, moderator, set the stage by speaking to Oppenheimer's early studies and how he got to Berkeley. It seemed odd that the son of wealthy NY City parents might come to the still wild west and be a champion for the working man. It was also brought out that is was almost odd that Oppenheimer became a Theoretical Physicist; he could easily have become a philospoher, poet or artist.
There was so much information, so many stories. So much information about people behind the Manhatten Project and their interaction with Oppenheimer. Even though there were scientists better than he in several fields, Oppie's colleagues called him the smartest man in the room. Beyond his physics, chemistry and other strengths, Oppenheimer was able to learn additional subject matter seemingly at will.
They all agreed that Oppenheimer was the man to lead the group; to manage the project. He broke down the compartmental organization implementing collaboration.
Remember, the neutron was discovered in May 1932; the Manhatten Project ran about 1941 to 1944 developing the bomb and 1945 building the bomb. It employed as many as 130K workers and cost billions at that time.
What aslo amazed me was, this was a manufacturing project. We think of all the science, the chalk boards, pencils and paper (no laptops!), all the math, but at the end of the day they had to produce the bomb. Oppenheimer pulled it off.
"A 25-year-old J. Robert Oppenheimer arrived at UC Berkeley in fall 1929 as an assistant professor, and over the next dozen years established one of the greatest schools of theoretical physics in the U.S. — one that continues to this day. He made UC Berkeley’s physics department the center of American thought about the new field of quantum mechanics and how to apply it to atoms, nuclei and even neutron stars."
I highly recommend reviewing the panel; an impressive group for sure. When they introduced Dr. Mark Chadwick, Chief Scientist & Chief Operating Officer for the Weapons Physics Associate Laboratory Directorate, ALDX, at Los Alamos, I was pretty impressed. The others as well...
Dr. Carson, moderator, set the stage by speaking to Oppenheimer's early studies and how he got to Berkeley. It seemed odd that the son of wealthy NY City parents might come to the still wild west and be a champion for the working man. It was also brought out that is was almost odd that Oppenheimer became a Theoretical Physicist; he could easily have become a philospoher, poet or artist.
There was so much information, so many stories. So much information about people behind the Manhatten Project and their interaction with Oppenheimer. Even though there were scientists better than he in several fields, Oppie's colleagues called him the smartest man in the room. Beyond his physics, chemistry and other strengths, Oppenheimer was able to learn additional subject matter seemingly at will.
They all agreed that Oppenheimer was the man to lead the group; to manage the project. He broke down the compartmental organization implementing collaboration.
Remember, the neutron was discovered in May 1932; the Manhatten Project ran about 1941 to 1944 developing the bomb and 1945 building the bomb. It employed as many as 130K workers and cost billions at that time.
What aslo amazed me was, this was a manufacturing project. We think of all the science, the chalk boards, pencils and paper (no laptops!), all the math, but at the end of the day they had to produce the bomb. Oppenheimer pulled it off.
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