Main Entry: law·ren·ci·um

Pronunciation: \lȯ-ˈren(t)-sē-əm\

Function: noun

: a short-lived radioactive element that is produced artificially from californium—symbol Lr; see element table

Law·rence \ˈlȯr-ən(t)s, ˈlär-\ , Ernest Orlando (1901–1958), American physicist. Lawrence was associated with the University of California, Berkeley, for virtually all of his research career. He was responsible for the establishment of the Radiation Laboratory at Berkeley and was appointed its director in 1936. He first conceived of the cyclotron, a subatomic particle accelerator, in 1929, and in 1939 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for its invention. Using the cyclotron Lawrence produced radioactive phosphorus and other isotopes for medical use, including iodine for the first therapeutic treatment of hyperthyroidism. In 1961 element 103 was named lawrencium in his honor.