He was born in Manhattan on December 25, 1918. He graduated from
Cornell University in 1938, with an
M.S. in physics. He then went to
Harvard University in 1939 and received a
Ph.D. in
quantum mechanics in 1941. To describe the manipulation of
polarized light, Hurwitz used
linear algebra with
R. Clark Jones, a method Jones went on to develop into the
Jones calculus. In 1943 he was recruited by
Hans Bethe to help
Edward Teller's staff of researchers at the
Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico develop the
thermonuclear reactions for the
hydrogen bomb. In 1946, Hurwitz became one of the first scientists to work at GE's
Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in
Schenectady, New York. In 1947 he transferred to the GE Research and Development Center to become manager of the Nucleonics and Radiation Branch. His team of scientists used advanced theta-pinch techniques to harness fusion reactions. In 1955, a year after
Fortune Magazine named him as one of the top 10 scientists in U.S. industry, Hurwitz contributed to establishing the first atomic containment sphere for
GE. The development advanced industry-wide safety protocols for enclosing nuclear reactors. He held 15 patents. His interest in electronic devices, computer applications, and chemical engineering prompted GE to recognize Hurwitz's accomplishments in 1975 by naming him a Coolidge Fellow, the GE R&D Center's highest honor. Hurwitz also is noted for his efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of
radon, and later received the
Glenn T. Seaborg Medal in 1989 from the
American Nuclear Society. He died on April 14, 1992, in
Schenectady, New York, of
cancer, at age 73. ==References==