Chemistry: Glenn Seaborg

Glenn Seaborg was born on April 19, 1912, in the town of Ishpeming, Michigan. His mother was an immigrant from Sweden and taught him the Swedish language before he learned English. When he was 10, he and his family moved to the suburbs of Los Angeles, where he was raised for the remainder of his childhood. As a child, he was so shy, his mother would have to arrange with his teachers to take trips to the bathroom since he was too shy to raise his hand. Also, during elementary school he was not the brightest student in the class and was often unsure about his grades. He went on to attend University of California at Los Angeles where he received his bachelor’s degree and eventually he received his doctorate from the University of California at …show more content…
A few years later, in 1942, he married Helen Griggs and ended up having six children. In 1946, he became professor of chemistry at the University and kept the position for 12 years. Glenn originally had a passion for physics but prevailed in chemistry and studied it, as he said, “I loved physics foremost, but studied chemistry because chemists could find jobs”. He was a very successful chemist as he won a noble prize before he was 40. Because of his reputation in the field of science, numerous presidents sought his advice, including President John f. Kennedy. His fame is international and was a very prominent figure in the field of science, for he was the president of the 138,000 member American Association for the Advancement of Science, and also the 150,000 member American Chemical Society. Along with these, the academies of eight other countries, especially Sweden, have chosen him to be an honorary member. He spoke out his entire Nobel Prize toast in the distinctive Swedish from the place his mother was born. Over his lifespan, he exceeded normal standards and proved his success …show more content…
First, our lives have been changed because of his discoveries of the elements which cause destruction. Terrorism has risen to new heights because of the inventions of more powerful bombs made with the same substances Seaborg first created. Also, modern warfare has drastically changed since the creation of powerful bombs, therefore completely changing national defense forever. A great number of political topics have switched also because of the uprising nuclear tension between countries. But, even though his discoveries have changed the world by means of warfare, it has also changed the world by means of energy and electricity. The elements he created and discovered are the same ones used in nuclear power plants which produces 85% of all the electricity used in today’s world. In the U.S. alone, nuclear power plants produced 797.1 billion kilowatts-hour in 2014 and make up 91.7% of the United States’ total energy. Because of Seaborg’s work our world might advance to new heights that have never been thought of before. For example, americium is the critical element in smoke detectors which have saved numerous lives. Also, the radioisotopes he discovered are the same ones used to treat patients with a variety of diseases. And lastly, an isotope of plutonium is the primary energy source in space shuttles that have made it to the moon. Most of the work Glenn Seaborg