march january american physicist known work manhattan_project world war sculptor architect director graduate phd wilson received doctorate supervision work development subsequently went princeton_university work electromagnetic separation wilson colleagues joined manhattan_project wilson head later war wilson briefly joined faculty harvard_university associate professor went professor physics director new wilson colleagues constructed electron assumed subsequently known managed complete facility time budget time aesthetically pleasing main administrative building purposely reminiscent restored prairie herd american resigned protest inadequate government funding early life born frontier wyoming son wilson older sister parents separated years old custody awarded father lived mother time time early life spent cattle changed schools frequently attended number schools including illinois grandmother worked wilson entered awarded degree cum joined radiation laboratory time american site experimental theoretical physics efforts lawrence respectively wilson received doctor philosophy phd thesis theory year married wilson ran trouble lawrence harsh working fired twice time losing rubber seal inch prevented use demonstration potential donor later urging melted expensive pair whilst fired offered job decided instead princeton_university work manhattan_project princeton wilson eventually took project development alternative approach electromagnetic separation lawrence method purpose separating common key step producing atomic bomb project produced device called unlike electrical field separate instead magnetic work princeton terminated world war secret laboratory research atomic bomb manhattan_project opened like bunch professional soldiers wilson later recalled signed wilson moved princeton staff harvard_university appointed head late twenties youngest group leader experimental division measurements cross section reorganized laboratory august focus development type nuclear weapon wilson head research division groups reporting headed headed group headed headed march acquired additional responsibility developing instrumentation trinity nuclear test july wilson helped stack boxes explosives ton test preceded active community affairs serving town council nazi_germany surrendered initial motivation crash atomic bomb project dissipated discovered german nuclear energy project years wilson raised question continue work news met reception director manhattan_project later life interviewed oscar nominated documentary day trinity wilson strongly considered work bomb surrender germany regretted extent atomic bombing hiroshima nagasaki wilson helped organize called scientists petition international control atomic energy petition carried washington eventually making way secretary war president war wilson helped form served chairman accepted appointment associate professor harvard spent months berkeley designing new harvard replace taken harvard wilson published seminal paper use fast founded field therapy wilson went professor physics director new wilson colleagues constructed electron construction arrived report described purpose important problems nuclear physics minds elementary particles nature forces hold particles general connected problem concerns general expression electrical laws high energies produced experiments planned attack problems hope produce artificial supposedly elementary particles study interactions shall explore electrical interactions high energy search evidence pointing correct theory electricity high energy wilson initiated construction produced artificial tested quantum short distances machine built remains use built located known wilson use methods model electron initiated particle showers invented measure intensity high energy ray beams took leave absence assume nascent illinois largest particle constructed date wilson called justify dollar machine trend day wilson emphasized national security respect regard dignity men love culture good painters good great poets mean things honor country patriotic sense new knowledge honor country directly defending country help worth defending thanks wilson talented leadership management style adopted lawrence facility completed time budget according wilson gave chairman assurance signed blood exceed authorized million budget hell facility centered mile wilson subsequently initiated design particle renamed frequently referred wilson studied sculpture italy wanted appealing place work believing external harmony encourage internal harmony personally looking like stereotypical government lab playing key role design architecture surrounding facility restored prairie served home herd american started wilson bringing bull cows site ponds main building purposely reminiscent celebrates role sculptor featuring works including strip broken symmetry metal sculpture iii sits lobby building named honor wilson served director resigned protest considered inadequate funding federal government joined faculty university_of_chicago emeritus professor physics chicago moved columbia_university professor science human relations professor physics emeritus professor retired moved awards honors wilson received awards honors including award elected president death wilson suffered stroke recovered died january age nursing home new_york buried 19th century site survived wife jane sons daniel sister papers
Robert R. Wilson