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Leon Pape

1925 – 1984

American physicist

Physicist Radiologist
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About Leon Pape

Lived 1925 – 1984 (aged 58). Leon Pape was an American physicist and radiologist, known for Electrostatic nuclear accelerator.

Leon Pape (February 8, 1925 – January 2, 1984) was a medical physicist who received his BSc, MSc and PhD (1965) in Physics from the University of Southern California. He became certified in radiological physics by the American Board of Radiology and from 1955 to 1962 he worked as a radiological physicist at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles. He served at the California State University Los Angeles as radiation safety officer and as professor of physics until 1971, and worked on the development of studies in biophysics, radiological health physics, and electron microscopy. He was elevated to departmental head of physics at Cal State Los Angeles, and advocated with the California legislature to secure adequate funding for the 4-MeV Van de Graaf Laboratory, unique to CSU system. From 1971 until his death he worked at the August Krogh Institute at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, in the zoophysiological laboratory. His central research area was membrane biophysics.

Select published works Thesis Pape, L. (1953). Report on investigation of asymmetrical resonance pressure broadening of the helium lambda5875 line.

Dissertation Pape, L. (1965). Investigation of Some Structurally Related Characteristics of the Urinary Glycoprotein of Tamm and Horsfall (Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California).

Articles

Pape, Leon; Baker, S.; Gildenhorn, Hyman L. A Technic for Cross-Calibration of X-Ray Units Utilizing Half-Value-Layer Determinations Jacobs, Melville L.; Pape, Leon Dosimetry for a Total-Body Irradiation Chamber Springer, Elliott B.; Pape, Leon; Elsner, Fred; Jacobs, Melville L. High-Energy Radiography (Cobalt 60 and Cesium 137) for Tumor Localization and Treatment Planning

Leon Pape Memorial Lecture Series The Leon Pape Memorial Lecture Series was inaugurated by CSU after his "untimely death in January 1984 prompted the establishment of this lecture series in his memory, encompassing his many interests." The award of this Lectureship is highly prestigious, with many Nobel Laureates and prominent academics having delivered it since its inception.

1984 : "Radioactivity in the Service of Humanity" Rosalyn S. Yalow, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, 1977. Senior Medical Investigator, Veterans Administration Medical Center, New York 1985 : "Science Is With People: A Tribute to Leon Pape" Paul Saltman, professor of biology, University of California, San Diego 1986 : "The Dilemma of Nuclear Weapons" Marvin L. Goldberger, president and professor of physics, California Institute of Technology 1987 : "How Old is the Observable Universe?" William A. Fowler, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 1983, institute professor of physics, emeritus, California Institute of Technology 1988 : "The Nature of Metals and Alloys" Linus Pauling, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 1954, Nobel Laureate in Peace, 1962, research professor, Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine 1989 : "The Life of the Stars" Hans A. Bethe, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 1967, professor emeritus of physics, Cornell University 1990 : "A Brief History of the First 15 Billion Years" Leon M. Lederman, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 1988, director emeritus, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and professor of physics, University of Chicago 1991 : "Visual Awareness" Francis H.C. Crick, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, 1962, J.W. Kieckhefer Distinguished Research Professor, Salk Institute for Biological Studies 1992 : "Simplicity and Complexity" Murray Gell-Mann, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 1969, Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology 1993 : "The Challenge of Drug Discovery" Gertrude B. Elion, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, 1988, Scientist Emeritus, Burroughs Wellcome Company 1994 : "Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy" Kip S. Thorne, Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology 1995 : "Nuclear Weapons: Where Do We Go From Here?" Sidney D. Drell, MacArthur Fellow, 1984–1989, professor and deputy director Stanford Linear Accelerator Center 1996 : "In Search of the Fundamental Building Blocks of Nature" Samuel C.C. Ting, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 1976, Thomas Dudley Cabot Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1997 : "Two Atmospheric Problems: Ozone Depletion and Global Warming" F. Sherwood Rowland, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 1995, Donald Bren Research Professor of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine 1998 : "Superfluidity in Helium Three: The Discovery Through the Eyes of a Graduate Student" Douglas D. Osherfoff, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 1996, MacArthur Fellow, 1981–1986, Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, Stanford University 1999 : "Holding onto Atoms and Molecules with Laser Light" Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 1997, Theodore and Frances Geballe Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, Stanford University 2000 : "Electronic Structure of Matter: Wave Functions and Density Functionals" Walter Kohn, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 1998, professor of physics, emeritus, and research professor, University of California, Santa Barbara 2001 : "Viruses: The Essence of Life, but Sneaky Critters" David Baltimore, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, 1975, National Medal of Science Recipient, 1999, President, California Institute of Technology 2002 : "Freezing Time" Ahmed H. Zewail, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 1999, Linus Pauling Professor of Chemistry and professor of physics, California Institute of Technology 2003 : "Light at Bicycle Speed ...and Slower Yet!" Lene Vestergaard Hau, MacArthur Fellow, 2001–2006, Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics and professor of physics, Lyman Laboratory, Harvard University 2004 : "Can Nuclear Weapons Proliferation Be Stopped?" Wolfgang K. H. Panofsky, Ph.D., professor and director emeritus, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Stanford University 2005 : "What Can We Do With A Quantum Liquid?" Anthony J. Leggett, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2003, MacArthur Fellow, professor and advanced studies professor of physics, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign 2006 : "The Future of Physics" David J. Gross, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2004, director, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Frederick W. Gluck Professor of Theoretical Physics 2007 : "Small Wonders: The World of Nanoscience" Horst L. Stormer, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 1998, Isidor Isaac Rabi Professor of Physics, Columbia University, New York, adjunct physics vice president, Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hills, NJ 2008 : "Why are we so excited about carbon nanostructures?" Mildred S. Dresselhaus, Ph.D., Institute Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; President of the American Physical Society (1984) and president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1997) 2009 : "Unveiling a black hole at the center of our galaxy" Andrea M. Ghez, Ph.D., professor of physics and astronomy, UCLA; MacArthur Fellow (2008); Sackler Prize(2004); National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences (elected) 2010 : "How Science Changed California and The West" Kevin Owen Starr, PhD, professor of history at USC and California's state librarian emeritus.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Known for
Electrostatic nuclear accelerator
Education
University of Southern California, August Krogh Institute, California State University, Los Angeles
Employers
University of Southern California, University of Copenhagen
Awards
California State University, Los Angeles

People in Leon Pape's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Leon Pape's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Leon Pape?

American physicist

When was Leon Pape born?

Leon Pape was born on 2 August 1925.

When did Leon Pape die?

Leon Pape died on 2 January 1984.

What was Leon Pape's occupation?

Leon Pape was a physicist and radiologist.

What was Leon Pape known for?

Leon Pape was known for Electrostatic nuclear accelerator.

What nationality was Leon Pape?

Leon Pape was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Leon Pape

· Wikidata: Q15869379

· DBpedia: Leon Pape

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Leon Pape. https://biography.guide/leon-pape/

MLA: "Leon Pape." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/leon-pape/.

Chicago: "Leon Pape." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/leon-pape/.

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