Stephen Lawroski was an American chemical engineer who worked on the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago’s Metallurgical Laboratory from 1944-1946.
Lawroski was born in 1914 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1943. After completing his education, he was working at the Standard Oil Development Company in New Jersey when Glenn Seaborg recruited him to join the chemical division at the Met Lab. Lawroski worked on separating uranium from plutonium and purifying the radioactive element.
He continued his research at Argonne National Laboratory after the war where he served as director of the chemical engineering division. During this time, Milton Levenson worked under him in this division. During the 1950’s, Steve Lawroski participated in the Eisenhower Atoms for Peace program, attending the Geneva Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in 1955 and helping to facilitate the exchange of information with Soviet scientists.
Lawroski was appointed to the general advisory committee of Atomic Energy Commission by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Additionally, he served on the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, an Atomic Energy Commission committee.
After 36 years, Lawroski retired from Argonne National Laboratory in 1980.