Richard Meserve Explained
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Richard Andrew "Dick" Meserve (born November 20, 1944, in Medford, Massachusetts) is an American lawyer and scientist. He served as Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1999 to 2003 and served as President of the Carnegie Institution for Science from 2003 to 2014.
Early life and education
Meserve received his undergraduate degree from Tufts University in 1966 [1] He then began pursuing his doctorate in physics at Stanford University. While doing his graduate research, he decided to attend law school as well, [2] and entered Harvard Law School, where he received a J.D. in 1975.[3] [4] He received a Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford in 1976, after completing his dissertation.[5] [6] [7]
Meserve has a history of making political donations to Democratic candidates and committees. [8]
Initial legal career
After graduating from law school, Meserve served as a law clerk to Justice Benjamin Kaplan of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court during 1975-76 and Justice Harry Blackmun of the Supreme Court of the United States during its 1976-77 term.[9] [10] After his clerkships, he became legal counsel to Frank Press, science and technology advisor of President Jimmy Carter, from 1977 to 1981.[11] [12] During that tenure, Meserve led the staff-level response at the White House to the 1979 Three Mile Island accident.[13]
Meserve began practicing law at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., in 1981 as an associate; he became a partner of that firm in 1984.[14] [15] Much of his work in private practice involved legal issues with connections to science or scientific institutions.[16] He also served on a variety of committees of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.[17] After the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, Meserve chaired a panel convened by the National Academy of Sciences to assess the safety of nuclear reactors operated by the Department of Energy at the Savannah River Site to create nuclear weapons materials.[18]
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
In August 1999, President Bill Clinton nominated Meserve to become Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and was confirmed by the United States Senate in October 1999.[19] [20] He continued as NRC Chairman after the 2001 inauguration of President George W. Bush. [21] [22]
Carnegie Institution for Science and after
In 2003, Meserve became the ninth President of the Carnegie Institution for Science.[23] [24] He also resumed the practice of law on a part-time basis in 2004 with Covington & Burling.
since 2003, he has served as U.S. representative and Chairman of the International Nuclear Safety Group of the International Atomic Energy Agency.[25] [26] [27] In 2010, United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu appointed Meserve to the federal government’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future.[28] In 2016, Meserve received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, from the Government of Japan, for his role advising that government in its response to the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.[29] He became President Emeritus of the Carnegie Institution for Science in 2014.
He is a member of the American Philosophical Society[30] and the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Physical Society.[31]
Notes and References
- Web site: Richard A. Meserve, 2013. 16 February 2021. U.S. House of Representatives.
- Applying Physics to Law, Oct. 1, 2003. 10 . 30–32 . 16 February 2021. Physics Today. October 2003 . 56 . 10.1063/1.1628993. Feder . Toni .
- Web site: Meserve, Fisher to lead Overseers, Apr. 30, 2012. 30 April 2012 . 16 February 2021. The Harvard Gazette.
- Web site: Richard A. Meserve, 2013. 16 February 2021. U.S. House of Representatives.
- Web site: Meserve, Fisher to lead Overseers, Apr. 30, 2012. 30 April 2012 . 16 February 2021. The Harvard Gazette.
- Web site: Carnegie's Meserve First Recipient of Tufts Vannevar Bush Dean's Medal, 2011. 16 February 2021. Carnegie Institution for Science.
- Applying Physics to Law, Oct. 1, 2003. 10 . 30–32 . 16 February 2021. Physics Today. October 2003 . 56 . 10.1063/1.1628993. Feder . Toni .
- Web site: OpenSecrets.org Donor Lookup - Richard Meserve. May 28, 2021.
- Web site: Meserve, Fisher to lead Overseers, Apr. 30, 2012. 30 April 2012 . 16 February 2021. The Harvard Gazette.
- Web site: Richard A. Meserve, 2013. 16 February 2021. U.S. House of Representatives.
- Web site: Meserve, Fisher to lead Overseers, Apr. 30, 2012. 30 April 2012 . 16 February 2021. The Harvard Gazette.
- Applying Physics to Law, Oct. 1, 2003. 10 . 30–32 . 16 February 2021. Physics Today. October 2003 . 56 . 10.1063/1.1628993. Feder . Toni .
- Applying Physics to Law, Oct. 1, 2003. 10 . 30–32 . 16 February 2021. Physics Today. October 2003 . 56 . 10.1063/1.1628993. Feder . Toni .
- Web site: Meserve, Fisher to lead Overseers, Apr. 30, 2012. 30 April 2012 . 16 February 2021. The Harvard Gazette.
- Book: Westwood. Howard C.. Covington & Burling: 1919-1984. 1986. 390.
- Book: Miller. Charles A.. Covington: A Centennial Story. 2018. 401.
- Web site: Chairman Richard A. Meserve, 1999. 16 February 2021. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Public Affairs.
- News: Nuclear Arms Plant Ordered to Reduce Power for Safety, March 21, 1987. 16 February 2021. Washington Post.
- Web site: Richard A. Meserve, Chairman, 2000. 16 February 2021. NRC.
- Meserve Joins NRC, Nov. 1999. 11 . 55–58 . 16 February 2021. Physics Today. November 1999 . 52 . 10.1063/1.2802831. Goodwin . Irwin .
- Applying Physics to Law, Oct. 1, 2003. 10 . 30–32 . 16 February 2021. Physics Today. October 2003 . 56 . 10.1063/1.1628993. Feder . Toni .
- Web site: Carnegie's Richard Meserve Awarded Nuclear Industry Leadership Prize, 2012. 16 February 2021. Carnegie Institution for Science.
- Web site: Carnegie's Meserve First Recipient of Tufts Vannevar Bush Dean's Medal, 2011. 16 February 2021. Carnegie Institution for Science.
- Web site: About. 22 September 2014 . 16 February 2021. Carnegie Institution for Science.
- Web site: Class Notes, 1966, 2016. 16 February 2021. Tufts Magazine.
- Web site: Meserve, Fisher to lead Overseers, Apr. 30, 2012. 30 April 2012 . 16 February 2021. The Harvard Gazette.
- Web site: International Nuclear Safety Group (INSAG), Membership (as at May 2020). 16 February 2021. International Atomic Energy Agency.
- Web site: Carnegie's Meserve First Recipient of Tufts Vannevar Bush Dean's Medal, 2011. 16 February 2021. Carnegie Institution for Science.
- Web site: Class Notes, 1966, 2016. 16 February 2021. Tufts Magazine.
- Web site: APS Member History. 2021-07-08. search.amphilsoc.org.
- Web site: Meserve, Fisher to lead Overseers, Apr. 30, 2012. 30 April 2012 . 16 February 2021. The Harvard Gazette.