Event Details


Dr. Kenneth W. Ford will speak at the Woods Hole Public Library about his new book Building the H Bomb: A Personal History (World Scientific, 2015) and tell some of the stories behind its publication.

The talk will be mostly autobiographical, highlighting the author’s work on the hydrogen bomb. As Dr. Ford describes his newest book as “a combined memoir of a young Ken Ford, thermonuclear history, and a nuclear physics primer ”. He will address his recent interactions with the Department of Energy and its objections to the book’s publication.

Currently, supplies of the book are running behind demand, but thanks to Eight Cousins Book Store, book orders will be taken.

Ken Ford has a long and illustrious career in physics, starting with winning a Westinghouse Science Talent Award during his senior year at Phillips Exeter Academy. He went on to graduate summa cum laude from Harvard University, going on to Princeton to study for a PhD in physics. He interrupted his studies at Princeton to work at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and to be part of “Project Matterhorn” at Princeton. After receiving his PhD at Princeton, he went on to research and teach physics at several major institutions, and serve on the boards of several professional physics associations and journals. Through the years he has published prolifically, totaling ten books and more than 68 articles and chapters. For a more complete listing, go to www.kennethwford.com.

Dr. Ford looks forward to marking the 71st anniversary of his first visit to Woods Hole (to MBL, as a student) with an appearance at the Library. The talk is free and open to the public.