Edward Gerjuoy Papers, 1937 - 2016

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Edward Gerjuoy Papers
Creator
Gerjuoy, Edward, 1918-2018
Collection Number
UA.90.F111
Extent
35.21 Linear Feet (28 records center boxes and one document case)
Date
1937 - 2016
Abstract
Edward Gerjuoy was a professor and theoretical physicist at the University of Pittsburgh, an environmental lawyer active in the Greater Pittsburgh area, and a judge for the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board. These papers include correspondence, publications, course materials, and research files pertaining to Dr. Gerjuoy's physics and legal careers.
Language
English .
Author
Zachary Brodt.
Sponsor
This collection was processed thanks to a grant from the Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Biographical / Historical

Edward Gerjuoy was a professor and theoretical physicist at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), an environmental lawyer active in the Greater Pittsburgh area, and a judge for the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board. During World War II, Dr. Gerjuoy worked on antisubmarine warfare and afterward began an over 65-year career as a physics professor conducting research in theoretical atomic physics.

Born May 19, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, Edward Gerjuoy studied mathematics and physics at The City College of New York, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1937. In 1938 he enrolled in the physics graduate program at the University of California at Berkeley where he had the opportunity to study under J. Robert Oppenheimer, who went on to lead the American effort to develop an atomic bomb. Oppenheimer invited Gerjuoy to work on nuclear fission with him in 1941, but deducing that he was developing a weapon, the pacifist Gerjuoy declined. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gerjuoy was awarded his Ph.D. and found employment first at the underwater sound laboratory in New London, Connecticut, and later with the Sonar Analysis Group in New York City working on antisubmarine warfare.

In 1946, Dr. Gerjuoy joined the faculty of the University of Southern California and rose to the rank of associate professor before leaving for New York University in 1951. In 1952, Dr. Gerjuoy was hired as an associate professor by the Physics Department at the University of Pittsburgh and received full tenure the following year. In 1958 he left Pitt to work on plasma physics at the General Atomics Laboratory in La Jolla, California, and then moved on to the Radio Corporation of America at Princeton before returning the University of Pittsburgh as a full professor in 1964 researching subatomic particle collision theory. With the rise of computers as computational tools in physics, Dr. Gerjuoy decided that he needed to change the focus of his research since he did not want to use computers in his work. Instead of changing fields in physics, he opted to study law and in 1974 graduated with a specialization in environmental law from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Law.

In 1981, Dr. Gerjuoy resigned from the Department of Physics to accept an appointment to the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board, a position he held for nearly six years. This body reviewed actions of the Department of Environmental Protection and heard appeals cases. Because of the vast environmental law experience he had gained while on the board, Dr. Gerjuoy then worked as a consultant for the Rose Schmidt law firm in Pittsburgh until about 2002. Once the firm dissolved in 2003, Dr. Gerjuoy returned to the Physics Department at the University of Pittsburgh as an emeritus professor to begin research in quantum computing.

Dr. Gerjuoy was active professionally in both the physics and legal fields. He chaired several committees of the American Physical Society and was editor of the American Bar Association's Section of Science and Technology journal, Jurimetrics. He also served on the governing board for the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), a citizen's environmental organization in Western Pennsylvania.

While a student in California, Dr. Gerjuoy married his wife, Jacqueline, in 1940. They had two sons, Neil and Leif. Dr. Gerjuoy died on January 31, 2018.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Leif and Neil Gerjuoy in April 2018.

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Edward Gerjuoy Papers, 1937-2016, UA.90.F111, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Anish Bhagwat, Maura Shapiro, Aimon Flaherty, and Zachary Brodt from 2019 to 2021.

Copyright

The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author.Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.

Scope and Contents Notes

These papers include correspondence, publications, course materials, and research files pertaining to the physics and legal careers of Dr. Edward Gerjuoy. While correspondence and publications span the entirety of his professional activities, research files are particularly strong in Dr. Gerjuoy's interests in quantum information and computing after he returned to physics in the early 2000s. Additionally, Dr. Gerjuoy's interests in human rights, academic freedom, and environmentalism are evident throughout the entirety of the collection, especially in materials relating to the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) and the Committee on International Freedom of Scientists (CIFS).

Arrangement

This collection has been arranged into the following series:

Series I. Correspondence

Series II. Authored Publications

Series III. Course Materials

Series IV. Legal Career

Series V. Speeches and Interviews

Series VI. Biographical Information

Series VII. Organization Publications

Series VIII. Research Files

Related Materials

Wade L. Fite Papers, 1951-2001, UA.90.F100, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

John T. Yates, Jr. Papers, 1960-2015, UA.90.F106, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) Records, 1968-2002, AIS.1979.21, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Michelle Madoff Papers, 1969-2013, AIS.1978.03, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • University of Pittsburgh -- Faculty
    • GASP (Pittsburgh, Pa.) -- Administration
    • Pennsylvania. Environmental Hearing Board

    Personal Names

    • Gerjuoy, Edward, 1918-2018
    • Griffiths, Robert B., 1937- -- Influence

    Genres

    • Faculty papers
    • Business correspondence
    • Personal correspondence
    • Newsletters
    • Dissertations

    Other Subjects

    • Physicists
    • College teachers
    • Quantum theory
    • Physics -- Study and teaching (Higher)
    • Teaching -- Aids and devices
    • Human rights advocacy
    • Environmental law -- United States
    • Science and law -- United States

Container List