Library After Hours: The Real Oppenheimer

with Allen Pietrobon, Ph.D.

Allen Pietrobon, professor of Global Affairs at Trinity Washington University, scholar of Cold War history, and former assistant director of research at AU's Nuclear Studies Institute.

J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the most famous names of the 1940s and 50s, has been made newly famous by his treatment this year in a Hollywood biographical thriller. But there was much more to him and the research he oversaw than is depicted in the film.

Learn in depth about Oppenheimer and his era in American history with Professor Allen Pietrobon, an award-winning historian and biographer.

Allen will  take us back to the dawn of the Atomic Age to explore the Manhattan Project and the personalities behind it. He’ll weave together fascinating stories of the atomic scientists working at Los Alamos and the challenges they encountered as they raced to devise an atomic bomb before Hitler’s Germany did.

We’ll examine the realities of wartime life in America as seen through the life and legacy of Oppenheimer and the world-changing weapon he helped to create. Going deep into Oppenheimer’s personal life, he’ll explore what made the man so famous.

He’ll also look at what made Oppenheimer infamous, as not all Americans—or even those who worked with him—celebrated Oppenheimer or the devastating weapon he foisted upon the world, a weapon that we still live under the threat of today. 

About the Presenters: 

Dr. Allen Pietrobon is an Assistant Professor and Program Chair of the Global Affairs department at Trinity Washington University. He is also the former Assistant Director of Research at the Nuclear Studies Institute. Allen is an award-winning historian and public speaker. His latest book is Norman Cousins, Peacemaker in the Atomic Age, a biography of the journalist and peace activist, Norman Cousins.

This is a drop in event. No Registration is required. 

Please note: this is a Library After Hours event: Doors will open for the public for the event at 6:45 PM. 

This program is recommended for adults (ages 16+). 

For questions, please reach out to programs@ccplonline.org.

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