Jerome Karle

Jerome Karle, born Jerome Karfunkel, was awarded the 1985 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing revolutionary mathematical techniques through which X-ray crystallography can be used to deduce the three-dimensional structure of natural substances vital to the internal chemistry of the human body. He started college at age 15 and earned his degree from the City College of New York in 1937. Karle received his master's degree in biology from Harvard the next year. In 1940, he enrolled at the University of Michigan and received his doctorate, and starting in 1943, after completing his studies, Karle worked on the famed Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago with his wife Dr. Isabella Karle, one of the youngest scientists and few women on the project. In 1946, they moved to Washington, D.C. to work for the Naval Research Laboratory. Karle and Dr. Herbert Hauptman were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work at the laboratory, using X-ray scattering techniques to determine the structure of crystals, which is used to study the biological, chemical, and metallurgical characteristics of substances. This technique has played a major role in the development of new pharmaceutical products and other synthesized materials. On July 23, 2009, Dr. Karle and his wife retired from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory after a combined 127 years of service. At the retirement ceremony, the couple was presented with the U.S. Navy's Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Jerome Karle addressed the student delegates at the 1986 Achievement Summit about his journey from bright science student in Brooklyn to internationally pre-eminent researcher.