Daughter of Atomic Bomb Builders to Discuss Moral Issues Confronted by Manhattan Project Scientists

Independent scholar and writer Mary Palevsky, whose parents helped develop the atomic bomb during World War II, will present a public lecture titled "Atomic Fragments: Conversations With Seven Manhattan Project Participants 50 Years After the Making of the Bomb."

Palevsky's talk will take place 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, in Neilson Library Browsing Room. It is free, open to the public and wheelchair accessible.

Palevsky's interviews with leading Manhattan Project scholars and scientists formed the basis of her book, "Atomic Fragments: A Daughter's Questions," published by the University of California Press in 2000.

In the book, scientists Hans Bethe, Edward Teller, Joseph Rotblat, Herbert York, Philip Morrison and Robert Wilson, and philosopher David Hawkins responded to Palevsky's personal approach in a way that dramatically expanded their previously published statements about the building of the bomb.

Palevsky will recount her research for the book, focusing on the ways in which her interviewees have grappled with the moral issues surrounding the development and use of the atomic bomb and how they conceive of the relationship between science and society. She will also speak about her interdisciplinary research approach, which combines oral history, ethnography and autobiography.

Contact: Marti Hobbes, mhobbes@smith.edu

January 31, 2001