Chauncey Starr  (1912 to 2007)

Chauncey Starr was a pioneering visionary who was perhaps best known for his seminal contributions to the fields of energy generation and distribution, national and international energy policy, and risk analysis. Born on April 14, 1912 in Newark, New Jersey, Chauncey received an electrical engineering degree in 1932 and a Ph.D. in physics in 1935 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He then became a research fellow in physics at Harvard University.

During World War II, Chauncey worked for the Manhattan District, focusing on isotope separation technology. Following World War II, he pioneered in the development of nuclear reactor designs, including the first non-military reactor and the first reactor in space.

Following a 20-year industrial career, during which he served as Vice President of Rockwell International and President of its Atomics International Division, Chauncey was the Dean of Engineering at UCLA from I 967 to I 973. While at UCLA, he led a research effort on societal safety in technical systems. This work led to a paper titled “Social Benefits versus Social Risks,” published in the Journal Science in 1969. This paper was the first to be based on holistic, quantitative methods, and is now generally considered to have founded the interdisciplinary field of Risk Analysis.

In 1973 Chauncey founded the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). From the outset, EPRI fostered a non-traditional approach to technology development. Chauncey’s vision was that of a “virtual” organization that could harness science and technology to improve the quality of life for all humanity.

Chauncey’s work earned him numerous awards, including the Walter H. Zinn Award, the United States Energy Award, the Distinguished Contribution Award of the Society for Risk Analysis, and the Arthur M. Bueche Award from the National Academy of Engineering. In 1990, he was awarded the National Medal of Technology by then President George H. Bush. He was a member and past Vice President of the National Academy of Engineering, and a founder and past President of the American Nuclear

Society. He was also a member and past Director of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and an Officer of the French Legion of Honor.