News

In Memoriam: David Lanning PhD ’63

David Lanning PhD ’63, Professor Emeritus of Nuclear Science and Engineering, passed away on Apr. 26 at the age of 96.

According to a MIT News obituary, Lanning was a key contributor to the MIT Reactor project after being recruited in 1957. During his tenure at MIT, Lanning helped redesign the MIT Reactor (MITR), an experimental nuclear reactor on campus, and oversaw the administrative separation of the facility from the since-renamed Nuclear Engineering Department. Lanning’s research encompassed reactor safety and efficiency as well as processes relating to nuclear fuel usage.

Lanning retired from MIT in 1994. His remembrance was held on May 1 at the Hampstead Congregational Church in Hampstead, NH.