author

Walter E. Kisieleski

1920–2011

A research chemist who spent much of his career at Argonne National Laboratory, he wrote clearly and accessibly about atomic science and biology for general readers. His best-known work helped explain how radioisotopes could be used to study living cells and life processes.

1 Audiobook

Radioisotopes and Life Processes (Revised)

Radioisotopes and Life Processes (Revised)

by Walter E. Kisieleski, Renato Baserga

About the author

Born in 1920 and remembered in obituary and library records as Walter E. Kisieleski, he built his career in science rather than in literary circles. Sources describe him as a research chemist at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois, and also note that he had previously served as an associate professor of chemistry at Loyola University in Chicago.

A biographical note published with Radioisotopes and Life Processes says he studied at James Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and later did graduate work at the University of Chicago. That same book, written with Renato Baserga for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's "Understanding the Atom" series, presents complex ideas in an inviting way for non-specialist readers.

His writing reached beyond technical workplaces into public science education. Scientific American also published his work, reflecting his gift for explaining fast-moving developments in radioautography and cell research in language ordinary readers could follow. He died in 2011.