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National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Fred Vaslow, a physical chemist, began working on the Manhattan Project while a graduate student at the University of Chicago. After Vaslow’s boss went to work on the Manhattan Project in 1943, Vaslow was transferred to Ames, Iowa, where he worked on the chemistry of plutonium.

Shortly before the Trinity Test in July 1945, Vaslow was transferred to Los Alamos. Having driven there himself, Vaslow had extra gas coupons, which he used to drive himself and a few close friends to Alamogordo to witness the Trinity Test.

After the war, Vaslow returned to the University of Chicago to finish his Ph.D. He later worked at Argonne National Laboratory, writing environmental impact statements. He now lives in Oak Ridge.

Fred Vaslow’s Timeline
1919 Nov 17th Born in Chicago, Illinois.

19431945 Joined the Manhattan Project in Ames, Iowa and worked on the chemistry of plutonium.

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