The Genious of Ralph

Ralph Alpher was a 2005 recipient of the National Medal of Science, the highest such honor in the United States.

Ralph Alpher was something of a child prodigy. At the age of 16 he was offered a full scholarship to MIT. Instead, he earned his bachelor's degree from George Washington University. He met eminent Russian physicist George Gamow there, who subsequently took him on as his doctoral student.

Alpher is best known for his prediction of residual cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) from the Big Bang, in 1948, along with George Gamow. The Alpher-Bethe-Gamow theory, which he assisted Gamow in developing, was published as an important paper in April of 1948. It is thought that Alpher provided much needed mathematical ability to support Gamow's theorizing. His dissertation defense was attended by major news media, and hundreds of interested onlookers--as opposed to the typical doctoral candidate-plus academic committee of five faculty at American universities.

The Ralph Lowell Society is a diverse group of philanthropic individuals and families committed to sustaining WGBH's ability to reach beyond the status quo — on television, on radio, and online. Ralph Lowell Society members share the distinction of being WGBH's most generous annual contributors, giving $1,500 or more each year to strengthen the impact of public broadcasting. Named after the founder of WGBH, a philanthropist who championed public broadcasting's educational potential, the Ralph Lowell Society offers an insider's view of WGBH.