Deuterium
Physicist Ferdinand Brickwedde, who joined the Penn State faculty in 1956, co-discovered deuterium, a hydrogen isotope found in “heavy water” and used in nuclear and biological research. He produced the world’s first measurable amount of this substance in 1931. Brickwedde exemplified the many outstanding scientists recruited to the University after World War II who helped make Penn State a leader in scientific research.