Dr. Frederick K. Lamb, internationally recognized for his contributions to physics, astronomy, and nuclear arms control, was born in Manhattan, KS in 1945. At MHS, Lamb was vice-president of the student council, president of the National Forensics League, president of the science club, participated in dramatics, lettered in track, and was the first foreign exchange student to go abroad. Spurred by a unique two-year physics course at MHS, Lamb earned a B.S. in Physics, with Honors, from the California Institute of Technology in 1967 and a PhD in Theoretical Physics from Oxford University in 1970.
Lamb has made pioneering contributions to our understanding of X-ray pulsars, neutron stars, and cosmic X-ray bursts. He was a leader of NASA’s highly successful Rossi X-ray astronomy satellite mission and played a leading role in the development of verification procedures for the U.S.-Soviet treaties limiting nuclear testing. He has served as a member of many committees for the National Academy of Sciences and NASA.
Lamb is the inaugural Fortner Endowed Chair in Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Illinois and the founding Director of the Center for Theoretical Astrophysics there. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he is the recipient of many honors and awards, including the Leo Szilard Award of the American Physical Society, which was awarded for his analysis of missile defense systems.