In Memoriam M. Salvatores

Dear colleagues, former lecturers and participants,

Dear friends of the Frederic Joliot & Otto Hahn Summer School,

It is with deep sadness that we have learned of the passing of the FJOH summer school Honorary Director Prof. Dr. Massimo Salvatores, on March 27, 2020.  Massimo Salvatores was not only the founder of the School, but also his first director.

Many of us knew Massimo Salvatores for his outstanding scientific achievements as a reactor physicist and nuclear engineer,  as well as for his leading role and initiatives in various scientific committees, international organizations, European and worldwide research programmes. His actions and contributions had earned him the highest international recognition and respect from his peers.

Massimo Salvatores will also be remembered for his involvement in the education and training of numerous young reactor physicists, not only as a professor and PhD student supervisor, but also as the founding father of the Frédéric Joliot summer school on nuclear reactors.  When creating the School in 1995, his vision was that it had to address several needs: (i) bridging the gap between traditional disciplinary-oriented courses and professional training courses; (ii) fostering the international exchange of young scientists, researchers and teachers; and (iii) transferring fundamental knowledge, best practices and key lessons learned to the next generations of reactor physicists and nuclear engineers.

Massimo Salvatores’ open and ever-questioning mindset, combined with his insatiable quest for new initiatives and promising research pathways, quickly led him to extend the scope of the School beyond reactor physics, so as to include nuclear fuels and systems. He later successfully worked on another extension in which the CEA Cadarache and Karlsruhe research centre would jointly organize the FJOH School and host it alternatively.

Massimo Salvatores was a remarkable physicist, an inspiring scientist, and a passionate lecturer. He is a role model for reactor physicists of all ages.  As the current FJOH School directors and organizers, we are keen to walk in Massimo’s footsteps and carry on the original mission he set forth for the School.

Massimo Salvatores admired Enrico Fermi and liked to quote him: “Before I came here, I was confused about this subject. Having listened to your lecture, I am still confused -- but on a higher level.”

Massimo Salvatores, Seminar on “Modern Reactor Physics: Back to the Future”, Frederic Joliot- Otto Hahn Summer School 2014, Aix-en-Provence