Attention NAE Members
Starting June 30, 2023, login credentials have changed for improved security. For technical assistance, please contact us at 866-291-3932 or helpdesk@nas.edu. For all other inquiries, please contact our Membership Office at 202-334-2198 or NAEMember@nae.edu.
Click here to login if you're an NAE Member
Recover Your Account Information
This is the 28th volume of Memorial Tributes compiled by the National Academy of Engineering as a personal remembrance of the lives and outstanding achievements of its members and international members. These volumes are intended to stand as an enduring record of the many contributions of engineers and engineering to the benefit of humankind. In most cases, the authors of the tributes are contemporaries or colleagues who had personal knowledge of the interests and the engineering accomplishments of the deceased. Through its members and international members, the Academy...
This is the 28th volume of Memorial Tributes compiled by the National Academy of Engineering as a personal remembrance of the lives and outstanding achievements of its members and international members. These volumes are intended to stand as an enduring record of the many contributions of engineers and engineering to the benefit of humankind. In most cases, the authors of the tributes are contemporaries or colleagues who had personal knowledge of the interests and the engineering accomplishments of the deceased. Through its members and international members, the Academy carries out the responsibilities for which it was established in 1964.
Under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering was formed as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. Members are elected on the basis of significant contributions to engineering theory and practice and to the literature of engineering or on the basis of demonstrated unusual accomplishments in the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology. The National Academies share a responsibility to advise the federal government on matters of science and technology. The expertise and credibility that the National Academy of Engineering brings to that task stem directly from the abilities, interests, and achievements of our members and international members, our colleagues and friends, whose special gifts we remember in this book.
Results Found
BY KATHY MCCARTHY
ALVIN WILLIAM TRIVELPIECE, a distinguished plasma physicist, visionary leader in energy research, and former director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, died in 2022 at the age of 91.
Born in Stockton, California, on March 15, 1931, Al’s early years were shaped by a deep curiosity about how things worked and a restless determination to learn. After a period of uncertainty following high school, a serendipitous visit to his aunt in San Luis Obispo led him to enroll at California Polytechnic State University. There he flourished, graduating in 1953 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He went on to the California Institute of Technology, where he earned his master’s in 1955 and doctorate in 1958, both in electrical engineering. Under the mentorship of Roy Gould (NAE 1971), Al conducted pioneering research on space charge waves in cylindrical plasma columns, work that laid the foundation for his lifelong commitment to plasma physics and fusion energy.
His early career was enriched by international experience as a Fulbright Scholar in the Netherlands from 1958 to 1959, after which he embarked on a decade at the University of California, Berkeley, rising from assistant to associate professor. In 1966, he joined the University of Maryland as a professor of physics, where he taught and mentored 19 doctoral students and coauthored, with Nicholas Krall, the textbook Principles of Plasma Physics (McGraw-Hill, 1973). The volume, still regarded as a classic in the field, showcased his gift for clear exposition and his vision of fusion as one of the great scientific frontiers.
In the 1970s, Al began to turn his talents toward national service. As assistant director for research in the Division of Controlled Thermonuclear Research at the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, he helped create the Controlled Thermonuclear Research Computer Center, giving researchers across the country unprecedented access to high-speed computing resources. This model of shared infrastructure anticipated future advances in scientific collaboration and became a hallmark of his leadership style: foresightful, pragmatic, and committed to enabling the work of others.
His most influential role in government came when he was appointed director of the Office of Energy Research at the U.S. Department of Energy in 1981. Responsible for 10 national laboratories, he oversaw the creation and development of major scientific facilities, including the Advanced Light Source, Advanced Photon Source, Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, and the Spallation Neutron Source. In 1986, he was instrumental in launching the Human Genome Project, a visionary initiative whose ripple effects transformed the biological and medical sciences. Colleagues recalled his ability to see far ahead, to recognize when a bold new direction was needed, and to persuade others to join him in making it possible.
From 1989 to 2000, Al led Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as director, guiding it through a transformative period. He championed high-performance computing and shepherded the shift from a planned reactor-based neutron source to the accelerator-based Spallation Neutron Source, which went on to become a world-leading facility. He also strengthened ORNL’s role in international collaboration, laying the groundwork for the ITER project in discussions with Soviet counterparts during the late Cold War years. His tenure was marked not only by institutional achievement but also by his encouragement of young scientists, whom he pushed to think ambitiously while grounding their work in rigor.
Al’s achievements brought recognition throughout his career. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1993 “for technical contributions to magnetic fusion energy and for leadership in energy research and development.” He received the Secretary of Energy’s Gold Medal for Distinguished Service in 1986 and was honored as a distinguished alumnus by both Cal Poly in 1978 and Caltech in 1987. He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and served on numerous national and international advisory boards that shaped the course of science policy.
Beyond his professional impact, Al was deeply devoted to his family. He and his wife, Shirley Ann Ross, married in 1953 and raised three sons. He was known for his wit, warmth, and zest for life. Friends and colleagues fondly recall his adventurous spirit — he piloted his own airplane well into his 80s — as well as his love of conversation, humor, and eagerness to share both scientific ideas and personal stories. He inspired countless students and colleagues with his combination of intellectual brilliance and down-to-earth approachability.
Al’s legacy endures through the scientific institutions he strengthened, the policies he shaped, and the many individuals he mentored. His visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to scientific advancement left an indelible mark on the global research community.