James a van allen biography

James A. Van Allen was a pathbreaking astrophysicist best known for his work in magnetospheric physics. Van Allen graduated from Iowa Wesleyan College in 1935.

He then enrolled at the University of Iowa where he received an M.S. in 1936 and a Ph.D. in 1939. Following school, Van Allen accepted employment with the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, where he studied photodisintegration.

James a van allen biography wikipedia

In April 1942 Van Allen moved to the Applied Physics Laboratory at the Johns Hopkins University where he worked to develop a rugged vacuum tube. He also helped to develop proximity fuzes for weapons used in the war, especially for anti-aircraft projectiles used by the U.S.

Navy. By the fall of 1942, he had been commissioned as an officer in the Navy and was sent to the Pacific to field test and complete operational requirements for the proximity fuzes. Upon completing his assignments in World War II, Van Allen returned t