[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 192 (Tuesday, November 21, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CELEBRATING DR. DIETER MARTIN GRUEN'S 101ST BIRTHDAY

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                            HON. SEAN CASTEN

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 21, 2023

  Mr. CASTEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 101st birthday 
of Dr. Dieter Martin Gruen for his dedication to science, significant 
contributions to new energy technologies, and devotion to fighting 
climate change. For over eight decades, Dr. Gruen has worked to enhance 
American technology development as a former Manhattan Project Scientist 
and as an Argonne National Laboratory Distinguished Fellow.
  Dr. Gruen's story signifies the American dream. Born in Waldorf, 
Germany in 1922 to a Jewish family, Dr. Gruen would eventually leave 
his home only fourteen years later when the Nazi party solidified its 
power. He was sent to Little Rock, Arkansas to live with relatives to 
finish up his high school education while his parents were sent to 
concentration camps. Luckily, his mother and father escaped and Dr. 
Gruen was reunited with them in Chicago a few years later.
  The shock of nearly losing his family did not dissuade Dr. Gruen from 
dedicating himself to his studies and empirical inquiry. Five years 
after reuniting with his family, Dr. Gruen received his bachelor's 
degree in chemistry from Northwestern University in 1944, his master's 
degree, and eventually a PhD in chemical physics from the University of 
Chicago. He studied at night and worked at a machine shop during the 
day. Shortly after graduating from Northwestern University, Dr. Gruen 
was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project, the U.S. government's 
top-secret effort to develop the atomic bomb. He worked on the large-
scale electromagnetic separation of uranium-235, and the nuclear 
material he helped to produce would later be fashioned into the bomb 
that fell on Hiroshima in 1945.
  After the war, Dr. Gruen helped found the Oak Ridge Scientists and 
Engineers, a group dedicated to ensuring nuclear weapons were never 
used again in war. After returning home to Chicago, he began working at 
Argonne National Laboratory, one year after the establishment of the 
U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories and during a time when 
Argonne was a national center for the development of nuclear reactors. 
Dr. Gruens work at Argonne focused on nuclear power and led to him 
serving as a delegate to the Second United Nations Conference on 
Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in 1958.
  Throughout his career, Dr. Gruen has made significant contributions 
to new energy technologies, specifically to nuclear fission and fusion, 
solar energy, energy storage, and conservation. Dr. Gruen has been 
recognized by the international scientific community and has made key 
advancements such as the nuclear submarine reactor cooling design and 
purification of uranium used to end World War II in the Pacific 
theater.
  For these accomplishments and his lifelong commitment to science, I 
had the great honor of supporting Dr. Gruen's nomination for the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom alongside my colleagues, Representatives 
Bill Foster, French Hill, Jerry McNerney, and Cheri Bustos. Dr. Gruen's 
tireless and selfless efforts to solve future clean energy challenges 
presented by climate change is seldom exhibited by an individual. 
Humble and unpretentious, Dr. Gruen is the embodiment of a dedicated 
American and pure scientist.
  I have had the great pleasure of learning from Dr. Gruen from his 
life stories and scientific endeavors in innovation and inquiry. Today, 
I wish Dr. Gruen a very happy 101st birthday and thank him for his 
decades of public service and remarkable advancements in and commitment 
to scientific research and discovery.

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