J Ernest Wilkins, Jr.

1923

Mathematician, Physicist and Engineer

Mathematician, physicist and engineer, J. Ernest Wilkins, Jr., has contributed his talents mainly to the research and development of nuclear power.

As a teenager, Wilkins attracted nationwide attention when he received his college degree at age 17 and his doctorate from the University of Chicago at 19.  He taught mathematics and did research at the University's Metallurgical Laboratory which was working on the atomic bomb.  Later, he became part owner of a company which designed and developed nuclear reactors for power generation.

His primary achievement has been the development of shields against gamma rays from the sun and nuclear sources.  He developed mathematical models by which the amount of gamma rays absorbed by a given material may be calculated; this technique is in wide use among researchers in space and nuclear projects.

Wilkins served for several years as Distinguished Professor of Applied Mathematical Physics at Howard University.  A member of the National Academy of Engineering, he was formerly president of the American Nuclear Society.