Nobel Prize Winner to Speak at CSUN

Nobel Prize-winning chemist Glenn T. Seaborg, who played a key role in the discovery of plutonium and other heavy elements, will be on the Cal State Northridge campus Friday as the first speaker in this year’s Distinguished Speakers Seminar Series.

“He is a great scientist and humanitarian,” said Stan Metzenberg, a visiting assistant professor of biology and an organizer of the series. “The point was to bring high-caliber people to campus to inspire students to pursue careers in science or mathematics.”

Seaborg, who shared the 1951 Nobel Prize and now is a professor of chemistry at UC Berkeley, will discuss his life’s work and speak on the national crisis in mathematics and science education.

The 84-year-old Seaborg has long been considered one of the premier chemists in the United States. During World War II, he headed a group of scientists who devised a method to produce plutonium through a chemical extraction process.

The discovery helped lead to the first man-made atomic reaction.

At Berkeley, Seaborg helped discover nine additional elements. He later served as the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission under Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon.

A prolific author, Seaborg has published more than 500 scientific articles. He has been awarded 50 honorary degrees and has been a strong advocate for nuclear arms control.

His lecture, entitled “10 Elements and 10 Presidents,” will be delivered at CSUN Student Union’s Grand Salon beginning at 3:45 p.m. Admission is free.

For more information, call (818) 677-3601.