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Keith A. Brueckner Papers
MSS 0094
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Title: Keith A. Brueckner Papers
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0094
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, California, 92093-0175
Languages:
English
Physical Description:
18.4 Linear feet
(50 archives boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1949 - 1994 (bulk 1949-1983)
Abstract: Keith A. Brueckner (1924-2014), a theoretical physicist, worked in academia and as a consultant to government and industry.
His research focused on many-body theory and laser fusion. Throughout his career, Brueckner consulted with numerous federal
and private agencies on research related to national defense. The collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, reports,
financial records, contracts and proposals, notes and calculations, lectures, itineraries, and calendars. Administrative materials,
such as memoranda, financial records, and itineraries relating to Brueckner's responsibilities at UC San Diego and KMS, form
the largest parts of the collection.
Creator:
Brueckner, Keith A.
Administrative Records of Keith A. Brueckner, RSS 1001. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Keith A. Brueckner Papers consist primarily of administrative, professional and financial records. The collection includes
memos, reports, professional correspondence, contracts, vouchers, expense statements, and travel itineraries generated from
Brueckner's duties in three major capacities: as instructor, administrator and research scientist at UC San Diego; as consultant
for government and industry; and as Technical Director with KMS, a private corporation whose scientific pursuits included
laser research.
The Keith A. Brueckner Papers are organized in ten series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL; 2) CORRESPONDENCE; 3) UC SAN DIEGO; 4)
PROPOSALS; 5) WRITINGS, TALKS AND LECTURES; 6) CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS; 7) ORGANIZATIONS; 8) CONSULTING; 9) KEITH A. BRUECKNER
AND ASSOCIATES; and 10) KMS.
Keith Allen Brueckner was born in Minneapolis on March 19, 1924. He earned a B.A. and M.A. in mathematics from the University
of Minnesota in 1945 and 1947 and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1950. Brueckner's career
as a theoretical physicist was divided between academia, industry, and service to the U.S. government, serving the roles of
teacher, administrator, researcher, and consultant. His research focused on many-body physics and laser fusion.
Brueckner was on the physics faculties at Indiana University (1951-1955) and the University of Pennsylvania (1956-1959) before
coming to UC San Diego in 1959. At UC San Diego, he was responsible for recruiting faculty to the new campus and setting up
the curriculum for the School of Science and Engineering. Among his other administrative responsibilities, Brueckner was Director
of the Institute of Radiation Physics and Aerodynamics and, later, Director of the Institute for Pure and Applied Physical
Sciences. (See the guide to the Administrative Records of Keith A. Brueckner, 1959-1970, RSS 1009, for more information on
his administrative duties.)
Outside the academy, Brueckner consulted with the Atomic Energy Commission, the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), RAND,
Convair, and the Scientific Advisory Boards of the U.S. Air Force, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and other
agencies related to national defense research. He was Vice President and Director of Research at IDA in 1961 and 1962. He
was also active in industry through his offices at KMS (Keeve M. Siegel) from 1968 to 1974 and his own consulting business,
Keith A. Brueckner and Associates (1974-1978).
Brueckner was an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,
and the 1963 recipient of the American Physical Society's Dannie Heinemann Prize. He was a professor emeritus in the UC San
Diego Department of Physics. Brueckner died in September 2014.
Keith A. Brueckner Papers, MSS 94. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Acquired 1988, 1994.
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Brueckner, Keith A. -- Archives
Institute for Defense Analyses.
JASON Defense Advisory Group.
Keith A. Brueckner and Associates.
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
United States. Advanced Research Projects Agency.
University of California, San Diego. Department of Physics. -- Archives
University of California, San Diego. School of Science and Engineering. -- Archives
University of California, San Diego. -- Administration -- Archives
University of California, San Diego. -- Faculty -- Archives
Laser fusion
Lasers
Many-body problem
Physicists -- Biography
Physics -- Research
Physics -- Study and teaching