Dr. J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. Dr. Wilkins 1944 Yearbook photo . Edward Teller, a key member of the Manhattan Project and the chief developer of the hydrogen bomb, didn’t want to see his young colleague’s talents go to waste. J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. In 1941 and 1942 the elder Wilkins served as president of the Cook County Bar Association in Chicago. After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at 17, he continued his … He was even a whiz at table tennis, winning the State of Illinois boy’s championship in 1938. In 1944, he returned to the University of Chicago to work on the Manhattan Project. Wilkins entered the University of Chicago in 1936 at the age of 13, becoming one of the youngest students to ever attend the university. J. Ernest Wilkins, Jr. lives in Atlanta, Georgia where he is currently working as Distinguished Professor of Applied Mathematics and Mathematical Physics at Clark Atlanta University. Over the next seven decades, Wilkins contributed to the fields of mathematics, nuclear engineering, and optics. J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. (1923-2011) was a prominent African American mathematician and physicist who worked at the University of Chicago Met Lab during the Manhattan Project. J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. was elected the 20th president of the American Nuclear Society (ANS). He and his younger brothers John and Julian grew up in the Wooldlawn area in the city’s South Side. Wilkins developed mathematical models to calculate the amount of gamma radiation absorbed by a given material. Wilkins worked under Enrico Fermi, Arthur Compton, and Eugene Wigner, all of whom would make important contributions to physics. Jesse Ernest Wilkins, Jr. (November 27, 1923 – May 1, 2011) is an African American mathematician and nuclear scientist, who gained first fame on entering the University of Chicago at age 13, becoming its youngest ever student.His intelligence led to him being referred to as a negro genius in the media.

That same year, Wilkins became the first teenager to be accepted into the Institute for Advanced Study program at Princeton University. He enrolled at the University of Chicago to study law so he could become a lawyer like his father. As he got older, Wilkins always valued the times he worked with  young students, saying, “It’s one way to keep yourself mentally alert!”. Like many thirteen-year-olds, J. Ernest Wilkins liked to attend parties with other kids his age. He was elevated to Fellow of ANS in 1964. Their father, J. Ernest Wilkins Sr., was a prominent lawyer who was later appointed Assistant Secretary of Labor under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Like many thirteen-year-olds, J. Ernest Wilkins liked to attend parties with other kids his age. Wilkins first worked as a mathematician for the American Optical Company in Buffalo, N.Y., designing lenses. After college, Wilkins taught at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

As an educator, Wilkins was especially concerned with recruiting other African Americans into mathematics and science. Jesse Ernest Wilkins Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1923. He would go on to serve other important posts in his fields of study.

Once World War II was over and his work with the Manhattan Project complete, Wilkins realized that he was not going to study law. The construction of the honeycombed inspired him to rethink computer processing. In 1976, J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. became the second African American to be named to the National Academy of Engineering. He also liked sports. Until he was old enough to practice law, Wilkins decided to focus on his other interest, mathematics.

Significance: nuclear scientist, mechanical engineer and mathematician. Prior to joining the faculty of Clark Atlanta University in September 1990, he had retired from an already exemplary career as a mathematician, physicist, and engineer. Jesse Ernest Wilkins Jr. (November 27, 1923 – May 12, 2011) was an African American nuclear scientist, mechanical engineer and mathematician. Instead of attending middle school, he was a student at the University of Chicago—the youngest student to ever be enrolled there. His intelligence led to … J. Ernest Wilkins, Jr., Ph.D. (1923-2011) ANS President 1974-1975. During the 1950s, he held a variety of positions at the United Nuclear Corporation in White Plains, New York. Jesse Ernest Wilkins, Jr.

He was even a whiz at table tennis, winning the State of Illinois boy’s championship in 1938. As a senior mathematician and manager of the Physics and Mathematics departments, Wilkins oversaw a range of research and development projects and worked closely with the Atomic Energy Commission. J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. was not only young and gifted, he was Black. Photo Courtesy of Tuskegee Institute. He published numerous … He attended the University of Chicago at the age of 13, becoming its youngest ever student.
In 1989, he put this idea to work, using 65,000 processes to invent the world’s first super computer — able to perform 3.1 billion calculations per second. J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. Photo License: Creative Commons 3.0, J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. He studied difficult mathematics, like calculus and trigonometry. Studying at night, he went on to earn bachelors and masters degrees in that subject. Read more about J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. at the Atomic Heritage Foundation and the American Nuclear Society. J. Ernest Wilkins Jr., pictured here in 2007, made contributions to the fields of mathematics, nuclear engineering, and optics. 8 He has 3 grandchildren two great-gandchildren Wilkins died on May 1, 2011 in Fountain Hills, Arizona 6 he taught But Wilkins was also different from many of his friends. J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. Photo: Dan Dry who worked on the Manhattan Project in the Metallurgical Laboratory from 1944-1946. He started looking for work. Their mother, Lucille, was a school teacher with degrees in history and education. Like many scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, he was always interested in the peaceful use of atomic energy. He wrote a letter to Harold Urey, the director of war research at Columbia University, recommending Wilkins for his team. President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed him Assistant Secretary of Labor in 1954, the first black American to hold a sub-cabinet position. He died in 2011. In his new job, he learned how to do math using one of the first computers. In 1974, he was named president of the American Nuclear Society, and in 1976, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, From 1977-1984, he worked at EG&G Idaho, Inc., where he was Vice President and Associate General Manager for Science and Engineering. That he had a brilliant mind was never in doubt. https://daily.jstor.org/the-black-mathematician-who-resisted-nuclear-war But Wilkins was also different from many of his friends. Although he was already an accomplished scientist and mathematician, Wilkins never stopped learning. He ended his career in the 1990s as Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and Mathematical Physics at Clark Atlanta University in Georgia. Howard was the first traditional African American university to have such a program. Illustration License: Public Domain, Institute for Advanced Study program at Princeton University. Quick Facts.

The United States was fighting World War II, and the Manhattan Project gathered some of the world’s best scientists to determine how to build an atomic bomb. He graduated from Willard Elementary School at age 10 and from Parker High School at age 13.