Not much to debate, really, but I thought some of you might enjoy reading this profile of Dr. John Trump, the physicist relative that our POTUS often mentions when the topic of science comes up (rarely). https://physicstoday.scitation.org/... 15–19 October&dm_i=1Y69,5XF72,E1MWY3,N7DEG,1 "The president’s uncle was an MIT physicist and engineer who made his mark in the development of high-voltage generators, World War II radar, and cancer therapies." Interesting bits... During the 1930s Trump built an enduring partnership with Van de Graaff developing high-voltage electrostatic generators. In 1939 Trump and Boston Navy Yard engineer Carlton Lutts found that the Huntington Memorial generator could also produce a radiographic image of thick steel in 100 seconds, whereas using radium it took about 65 hours. That capability would soon substantially improve manufacturers’ ability to inspect for defects, and it played an important role in US shipbuilding and aircraft construction during World War II. Trump concentrated his own wartime work on the new technology of radar. By mid-April 1945, Trump was in Germany, interviewing enemy radar engineers. After the war Trump became the director of MIT’s High-Voltage Research Laboratory, a position he held from 1946 until his retirement in 1980. Describing John Trump’s personality, Robinson wrote, “He was remarkably even-tempered, with kindness and consideration to all, never threatening or arrogant in manner, even when under high stress. He was outwardly and in appearance the mildest of men, with a convincing persuasiveness, carefully marshalling all his facts. So... not a whole lot like his nephew! LOL. Much, much more, including images, at the link.
An actual very stable genius: Spoiler Enormous vdG generators. Spoiler Um, yeah, those are people perched inside them.
