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Robert H. Socolow Papers
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Held at: Science History Institute Archives [Contact Us]315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Science History Institute Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Robert H. Socolow is an American environmental scientist and theoretical physicist with research interests in energy conservation and environmental technologies and policies. Born in New York, New York on December 27th, 1937, Socolow earned his B.S. Degree in Physics from Harvard College (1959) and his M.A. (1961) and Ph.D. (1964) in high-energy physics from Harvard University. After receiving his Ph.D., he worked for two years as a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) and the University of California, Berkeley.
Socolow began working at Yale University in 1966 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics. In 1971, Socolow left Yale for Princeton University, where he worked as a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. At Princeton, he was tasked with spearheading an interdisciplinary environmental research program. Socolow also helped found the Center for Environmental Studies (later the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies) at Princeton University, serving as the center's director from 1979 to 1997.
While working at Princeton, Socolow, along with John Harte, co-edited the book Patient Earth (Holt, Reinhart, and Winston 1971), which was one of the first college-level textbooks in environmental studies. Socolow also led a number of energy-conservation based and environmental projects, such as studies of Jamaica Bay and the Tocks Island Project. He also led the Twin Rivers Project, which was a series of studies performed by engineers, architects, and physical scientists that explored energy conservation in residential homes through retrofitting.
Socolow is a pioneering researcher of industrial ecology, a research approach that explores how energy and materials flow through the economy and their ultimate effect on the environment. His research in industrial ecology has focused primarily on the flows of nitrogen and lead, as well as how fossil fuels flow act as a flow of carbon through the industrial process. This research led Socolow and his Princeton colleagues to develop a two-week summer study in 1992 and subsequent book, Industrial Ecology and Global Change (Cambridge University Press, 1994).
In 2000, Princeton University, with the sponsorship of BP (British Petroleum), founded the Carbon Mitigation Initiative (CMI). The CMI is a research program that focuses on carbon mitigation strategies and is Princeton's longest collaborative partnership. Socolow served as co-director alongside Stephen W. Pacala. Their work with the CMI led both Socolow and Pacala to co-author the paper "Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next 50 Years with Current Technologies" (Science Vol. 305, Issue 5686, 2004). Stabilization wedges help visualize how various carbon mitigation methods will slow the effects of climate change.
Socolow is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Research Council of the National Academies, and the American Physical Society. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Axelson Johnson Commemorative Lecture Award in 2005 from the Royal Academy of Engineering Science of Sweden and the Leo Szilard Lectureship Award in 2003 from the American Physical Society. Socolow is also the recipient of the John Scott Award in 2023 for his leadership in research of energy efficiency and climate stabilization strategies.
The Robert H. Socolow Papers contain the records of American environmental scientist and theoretical physicist Robert H. Socolow. The collection is arranged into the following eight series:
- Personal Files
- Academic Files
- Publication Files
- Project Files
- Meetings Files
- Correspondence Files
- Photographs
- Audio/Visual Files
The Robert H. Socolow Papers were donated to the Science History Institute by Robert H. Socolow in May 2023.
The Robert H. Socolow Papers were processed by Olivia Hosie in May 2024.
Organization
Subject
- Architecture and energy conservation
- Buildings -- Retrofitting
- Carbon dioxide mitigation
- Carbon offsetting
- Carbon sequestration
- Climate change mitigation
- Climatic changes
- Climatic changes -- Research
- Climatic changes -- United States
- Ecology
- Energy conservation
- Energy industries -- Soviet Union
- Energy policy -- Soviet Union
- Environmental policy
- Environmental policy -- New Jersey
- Environmental policy -- United States
- Environmental sciences
- Environmental sciences -- Study and teaching
- Environmental sciences teachers
- Fossil fuels
- Industrial ecology
- Jewish scientists
- Nuclear energy
- Radon mitigation
- Radon -- Environmental aspects
- Tocks Island Reservoir Project
- Publisher
- Science History Institute Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid created and encoded into EAD by Olivia E. Hosie.
- Finding Aid Date
- 2024
- Access Restrictions
-
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes and the collection is open to the public.
- Use Restrictions
-
The Science History Institute holds copyright to the Robert H. Socolow Papers. The researcher assumes full responsibility for all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Collection Inventory
All the materials in this series pertain to the early life and education of Robert H. Socolow. The contents of the Personal Files are arranged into the following three sub-series:
- Early Life and Grade School
- Undergraduate School
- Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellowship
Arranged chronologically, this sub-series consists of miscellaneous printed materials pertaining to the early life and education of Robert H. Socolow. This includes materials from Socolow's grade school education at Walden School and Fieldston School, such as coursework and exams. There are also personal files and correspondence with family from Socolow's time at summer camp in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Materials pertaining to Socolow's Jewish upbringing, such as his bar mitzvah, as well as his early travels to Europe are also found within this sub-series.
The contents of the Early Life and Grade School files consist of a variety of materials. This includes manuscripts, letters, printed materials, photographs, and memorabilia.
Arranged chronologically, this sub-series contains both coursework and personal files produced by Robert H. Socolow during his time as an undergraduate student in physics at Harvard College. Several folders contain correspondence between Socolow and his family pertaining to his life and academic career as a Harvard student. Other folders contain not only physics coursework, but Socolow's Russian and Slavic language studies as well. Several other folders pertain to Socolow's summer projects at institutions such as Brookhaven National Laboratory, Purcell, and Camp Tel Noar.
The contents of the Undergraduate School files consist of a variety of materials. This includes manuscripts, letters, printed materials, and reports.
Arranged chronologically, this sub-series contains materials related to Robert H. Socolow's Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellowship. During this fellowship, Socolow traveled throughout the Soviet Union, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Northern Africa. Each folder contains materials from a country or region Socolow visited during the traveling fellowship. Most of the materials within this sub-series are travel logs written by Socolow detailing his travels and work in these countries and regions. There is also personal correspondence written by Socolow to his family, acquaintances, and colleagues.
The contents of the Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellowship files consist of a variety of materials. This includes manuscripts, letters, printed materials, photographs, pamphlets, and memorabilia.
All the materials in this series pertain to the graduate education and teaching career of Robert H. Socolow. The contents of the Academic Files are arranged into the following seven sub-series:
- Harvard University
- University of California, Berkeley and European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN)
- Yale University
- Princeton University
- Princeton University Classes
- Princeton University Reports
- Miscellaneous
Arranged chronologically, this sub-series contains materials produced by Robert H. Socolow during his graduate studies at Harvard University. This includes coursework from seminars both attended and taught by Socolow during his teaching assistantship. Additionally, there are materials related to Socolow's graduate thesis and oral examination. This sub-series also includes materials from his extracurricular activities such as summer studies, fellowships, and conferences. Additionally, this sub-series contains both professional and personal correspondence to and from Socolow.
The contents of the Harvard University files consist of a variety of materials. This includes manuscripts, correspondence, printed materials, lecture notes, and reports.
Arranged chronologically, this sub-series contains materials produced by Robert H. Socolow during his National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Physics at the University of California, Berkeley and European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). This includes physics lectures notes and papers from the University of California, Berkeley. Additionally, this sub-series contains materials related to Socolow's involvement in the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s, as well as personal and professional correspondence. The sub-series also contains physics research notes and papers produced at CERN.
The contents of the University of California, Berkeley and European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) files consist of a variety of materials. This includes manuscripts, correspondence, printed materials, lecture notes, and reports.
Arranged chronologically, this sub-series contains materials produced by Robert H. Socolow during his career at Yale University. It consists mostly of lecture notes from courses taught by Socolow while working as an Assistant Professor in Yale's Department of Physics. Additionally, there are materials produced by special committees that Socolow was a member of, including the Committee of 15 and the Science Action Coordinating Committee. There are also materials related to Socolow's early work in environmental studies, specifically his work in introducing an Environmental Studies major at Yale University. This sub-series also contains personal and professional correspondence.
The contents of the Yale University files consist of a variety of materials. This includes manuscripts, correspondence, printed materials, lecture notes, papers, coursework, and reports.
Arranged chronologically, this sub-series contains materials produced by Robert H. Socolow during his career at Princeton University. The materials in this sub-series largely relate to Socolow's work as the Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies (CEES). This includes administrative correspondence and meeting materials from various committees and councils related to CEES. Additionally, there are files pertaining to various grants and fellowships the CEES received during Socolow's tenure, including those from the DeCamp Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the Hewlett Foundation. This sub-series also contains some of Socolow's personal files, including personal correspondence, biographical data, and curriculum vitae.
The contents of the Princeton University files consist of a variety of materials. This includes manuscripts, correspondence, printed materials, meeting minutes, grant information, photographs, and reports.
Arranged chronologically, this sub-series contains materials related to courses taught by Robert H. Socolow during his time at Princeton University. The courses cover a range of topics related to physics and the environment. This includes solar energy, nuclear science, fuel cells, fossil fuels, and ethical and social issues in environmental science. Most of the materials in this sub-series are course materials, including syllabi, presentation slides, and exam templates.
The contents of the Princeton University Classes files consist of a variety of materials. This includes manuscripts, correspondence, printed materials, photographs, and reports.
Arranged chronologically, this sub-series contains reports produced by the Center for Energy and the Environment (CEES) at Princeton University. The contents of this sub-series are comprised of reports generated by CEES staff to the Center's president. These reports cover a range of information about the CEES, including current staff, course information and participation, seminars, ongoing research projects, and publications by staff and students.
The contents of the Princeton University Reports files consist mainly of reports and correspondence.
Arranged alphabetically, this sub-series contains miscellaneous academic materials produced by Robert H. Socolow and his colleagues. Three folders contain materials from the theoretical physicist Sidney Coleman, including some of his published papers and his thesis paper. Seven folders contain biographical and curriculum vitae updates and drafts for Socolow, as well as miscellaneous papers he authored prior to his time at Princeton University.
The contents of the Miscellaneous files consist of a variety of materials. This includes manuscripts, correspondence, printed materials, and reports.
This series contains the publication files of Robert H. Socolow. The files within this series mainly concern published materials authored and co-authored by Socolow, as well as published materials written about Socolow and his work. Additionally, there are publications and resources produced by Princeton University staff while Socolow was the Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. The contents of the Publication Files series are arranged into the following seven sub-series:
- Patient Earth Materials
- Princeton University CES/CEES Working Papers
- Princeton University CES/CEES Reports
- Center for Environmental Studies Library Resources
- Princeton University Distillates
- Stabilization Wedges
- Miscellaenous Publications
Arranged alphabetically, this sub-series contains materials related to the research and publication of Patient Earth, an environmental-focused college-level textbook authored by Robert H. Socolow and John Harte. The majority of the materials within this sub-series comprise of drafts and correspondence between Socolow and Harte and the authors of each chapter of Patient Earth. There are additional materials from the editing process of Patient Earth, including errata and drafts. Several folders also contain materials related to the promotion and reviews of the book, as well as the book's finances.
The contents of the Patient Earth Materials files consist of a variety of materials. This includes manuscripts, correspondence, printed materials, drafts, and reports.
Arranged chronologically by the paper number, this subseries contains working papers authored and co-authored by Robert H. Socolow and his colleagues and students at Princeton University. The working papers cover a range of topics, primarily focusing on energy conservation research and ongoing projects at Princeton University. This includes the Modular Retrofit Experiment, the Ice Pond/Enerplex Project, the Twin Rivers Project, radon research, and biomass.
The contents of the Princeton University CES/CEES Working Papers sub-series consist entirely of bound working papers.
Arranged chronologically by the report number, this subseries contains reports authored and co-authored by Robert H. Socolow and his colleagues and students at Princeton University. The reports cover a range of topics, primarily focusing on energy conservation research and ongoing projects at Princeton University. This includes the Modular Retrofit Experiment, the Ice Pond/Enerplex Project, the Twin Rivers Project, radon research, and carbon sequestration. Some reports correspond with workshops, symposiums, and conferences attended by Socolow and his colleagues.
The contents of the Princeton University CES/CEES Reports sub-series consist entirely of bound reports and some photographs and correspondence.
Arranged alphabetically, this sub-series contains materials held by the Center for Environmental Studies Library at Princeton University while Robert H. Socolow was employed there. The materials relate to a number of environmental and energy conservation topics, such as renewable resources, oil and natural gas, and social issues. The articles are authored by individuals outside of the Center for Environmental Studies and Princeton University. Most are undated.
The contents of the Center for Environmental Studies Library Resources files consist entirely of printed and photocopied articles.
Arranged chronologically, this sub-series contains Distillates authored and co-authored by Robert H. Socolow during his time at Princeton University. The Distillates are a series of publications from the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment which provide brief overviews of topics in energy and environmental conservation. The Distillates in this subseries cover a variety of topics. There are three Distillates covering energy storages, five covering renewable resources, and miscellaneous other topics, such as fusion energy and modular reactors.
The contents of the Princeton University Distillates files consist of manuscripts, correspondence, drafts, and printed materials.
Arranged chronologically, this sub-series contains materials related to Robert H. Socolow's and Stephen W. Pacala's climate stabilization wedges, which help to visualize the effects that carbon mitigation techniques would have on diminishing CO2 emissions. Many of the folders focus on the preparation, notes, and drafts for their article "The Stabilization Wedge: Solving the Climate Problem with Standard Technologies Available Today". This sub-series also includes drafts and final copies for papers such as "Wedges Reaffirmed" and "Rethinking Wedges".
The contents of the Stabilization Wedges files consist of a variety of materials. These include manuscripts, drafts, printed materials, correspondence, lecture slides, and calculations.
Arranged alphabetically, this sub-series contains papers and articles authored, co-authored, or written about Robert H. Socolow and his work at Princeton University. Certain publications feature heavily in this sub-series, including Energy and Buildings, Physics Today, Princeton Alumni Weekly, and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Some materials in this sub-series relate to books that Socolow authored, co-authored, or edited, such as the "Industrial Ecology and Global Change" files. Others, such as the Energy and Buildings files, represent editorial boards that Socolow belonged to. Additionally, this sub-series contains miscellaneous newspaper and magazine clippings.
The contents of the Miscellaneous Publications files contain a variety of materials. These include manuscripts, drafts, printed materials, newspaper clippings, magazine clippings, and correspondence.
This series contains files related to projects, experiments, and studies that Robert H. Socolow participated in. The contents of the Project Files are arranged into the following nine sub-series:
- Jamaica Bay and John R. Kennedy International Airport Study
- Tocks Island Project
- Twin Rivers Project
- Soviet Union Work
- Carbon Mitigation Initiative
- Direct Air Carbon Capture
- Enerplex and Ice Pond Experiment
- Modular Retrofit Experiment and the House Doctor
- Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies
Arranged chronologically, the contents of this sub-series pertain to the study of Jamaica Bay and John F. Kennedy International Airport completed by the Jamaica Bay Environmental Study Group for the Environmental Studies Board of the National Academy of Science. Robert H. Socolow was a member of this study group and co-authored the final report.
The contents of the Jamaica Bay and John F. Kennedy International Airport Study files contain a variety of materials. These include correspondence, drafts, reports, manuscripts, printed materials, and meeting minutes.
Arranged alphabetically, the contents of this sub-series contain files from the Tocks Island Project, a study of the Tocks Island Dam Project and its potential environmental impact. Robert H. Socolow, along with Harold A. Feiveson and Frank W. Sinden, edited "Boundaries of Analysis: An Inquiry into the Tocks Island Dam Controversy", a case study of the prosed project. This sub-series contains correspondence between Socolow and other members of the study as well as meeting files. This subseries also contains three folders with files pertaining to "Failures of Discourse", which is Socolow's introductory chapter of "Boundaries of Analysis: An Inquiry into the Tocks Island Dam Controversy".
The contents of the Tocks Island Project files contain a variety of materials. These include correspondence, drafts, reports, manuscripts, printed materials, and meeting minutes.
Arranged alphabetically, this sub-series contains files pertaining to the Twin Rivers Project led by Robert H. Socolow and others at Princeton University. This sub-series is largely comprised of correspondence between participants in the project as well as surveys of the Twin Rivers residents. There are also administrative files within the sub-series, such as the study's finances, proposals, and meeting notes. The remaining files are comprised of research notes and articles related to the energy conservation and retrofitting aspects of the project.
The contents of the Twin Rivers Project files contain a variety of materials. These include correspondence, drafts, reports, manuscripts, printed materials, newspaper clippings, and meeting minutes.