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Pioneering Physicist

Priscilla Watson Laws ’61

December 12, 2023, in Palo Alto, of pneumonia.

Dr. Priscilla Watson Laws was a pioneering physicist. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, Priscilla was a lifelong learner and teacher. She attended Lowell High School in San Francisco and studied physics at Reed before completing her master’s and doctorate in nuclear physics at Bryn Mawr College. It was there that she met her husband, Kenneth Laws; they married in 1965 and settled in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The couple taught at Dickinson College and raised two children.

Priscilla’s career was marked by innovation and dedication. In the 1970s, she focused on the effects of X-ray radiation, contributing significantly to public understanding through her book The X-Ray Information Book and appearing on national television. She was also on the Pennsylvania Governor’s Energy Council during the Three Mile Island incident and served on the scientific advisory panel for the FDA’s Bureau of Radiological Health.

Priscilla’s attention turned to physics education in the 1980s, leading to the revolutionary “Workshop Physics” curriculum and development of lab equipment for PCs, notably with AtariLab. The equipment and curriculum she helped create are still available today and are used at many colleges throughout the world.

Priscilla was recognized with the Dana Award for Education, the Milliken Award, and the Sears Roebuck Teaching Excellence Award. In 2003, she became a fellow of the American Physical Society.

Priscilla’s passion for education extended beyond the classroom. She served on various panels, including the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education’s FIPSE board. Her commitment to Carlisle was evident in her board roles for Carlisle Day Care, Carlisle Hospital Authority, the Carlisle Recycling Program, and the Unitarian Universalists of Cumberland Valley. Her dedication to social justice led to the Mozambique Bursary Project, supporting education for young women and girls in Africa.

Priscilla also loved hiking, reading (from her husband’s book on physics to novels by Barbara Kingsolver), and spending time with her grandchildren. She is survived by her children, Kevin and Virginia.

Appeared in Reed magazine: Fall 2024

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