Courtesy of UCLA Media Relations Physics professor
John Dawson died Nov. 17. He was a "true
humanitarian" who believed science was most noble, one colleague
said.
By Roopa Raman
Daily Bruin Contributor
After serving as a UCLA faculty member since 1973, physics
professor John Dawson ““ the father of plasma-based
accelerators and computer simulation of plasmas ““ passed away
in his sleep Nov. 17 at age 71.
“He was a true humanitarian who believed that science was
the most noble of professions, and that’s how he lived his
life,” said Warren Mori, a professor of physics and
electrical engineering who has known Dawson for 20 years. “He
was a great adviser, a great colleague and a great man.”
Dawson was a leading figure in the physics of high-temperature
plasmas for more than 40 years and contributed to other areas under
plasma physics.
He invented an isotope separation process that has been used to
save the lives of those suffering from prostate cancer ““ an
illness he recovered from three decades ago.
Dawson served in various positions at UCLA; he was director of
the Center for Plasma Physics and Fusion Engineering and associate
director of the university’s Institute for Plasma and Fusion
Research.
Francis Chen, professor emeritus in electrical engineering who
has known Dawson for 46 years, said Dawson inspired graduate
students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty members throughout
his career.
“Under his guidance, a lot of students have
prospered,” he said. “His advice is so valuable that he
has contributed to many people’s research.”
By sitting down and discussing a concept with Dawson for five
minutes, Chen said, he was able to comprehend ideas that may have
taken him a year or more to understand.
“He could see right through the core of the problem and
explain what’s going on,” he said. “He could
explain things very rapidly to me.”
During his career, Dawson was awarded the Maxwell Prize and the
Aneesur Rahman Prize ““ the highest honors in the American
Physical Society’s plasma physics and computational physics
divisions.
He has also received the California Scientist of the Year award
and two UCLA physics teaching awards.
Born in Champaign, Ill., Dawson received a Ph.D. in physics from
the University of Maryland.
Prior to his work at UCLA, Dawson was a research physicist and
professor at Princeton University.
He was also a member of the National Academy of the Sciences and
American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Dawson is survived by his son Arthur and daughter-in-law Jill;
daughter Margaret and her husband, Bruce; brothers Edward and Fred;
sisters Irene Leland and Ruth Phillips; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in Santa Monica on Saturday. A
larger ceremony will be held at UCLA early next year.
The family requests that contributions to a scholarship fund in
Dawson’s name be sent to: “The John Dawson Memorial
Fund/UC Regents” c/o Andrea Johnson, UCLA Physics Dept., Los
Angeles, CA 90095-1547.