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National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Karl Walther

Senior GlassblowerManhattan, NY

Columbia University
Manhattan Project VeteranProject Worker/Staff
A cyclotron at Columbia University

Karl Walther was a glassblower for Columbia University and Brookhaven National Laboratory. During the Manhattan Project, Walther worked as a senior glassblower at the Nash Garage Building at Columbia, where scientists developed the gaseous diffusion process. He supervised a young lab assistant named James Forde.

In 1947, Walther joined the Physics Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory. After more than 40 years at Brookhaven, he retired in 1989 as a glassblowing specialist in the Instrumentation Division. In his honor, the American Scientific Glassblowers Society annually presents the Karl Walther Award for the best article published in their quarterly journal.

Karl Walther’s Timeline
1919 Born in Germany.

1928 Emigrated to the United States.

19421946 Worked as a senior glassblower on the Manhattan Project at the Nash Garage Building at Columbia University.

1947 Feb 24th Joined the Physics Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

1989 Retired from Brookhaven as a glassblowing specialist in the Instrumentation Division.

2000 Jun 28th Died at the age of 81.

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