The LENR phenomenon has been rigorously pursued by many investigators in several countries. The mounting evidence for the reality of LENR shows that his potential benefits may yet be realized. One of the foremost LENR researchers is David J. Nagel, Ph.D. He has been involved in the field since March 24, 1989, when his noontime swim was interrupted with a notice from his boss (a hot fusion specialist) to call him right away.
In the three decades since then, Dr. Nagel has been involved in diverse LENR activities. They range from calls, email and meetings, to over 100 presentations to more than 4000 people, to writing dozens of papers. He has attended all 21 of the International Conferences on Cold Fusion, as well as many other meetings and conferences on LENR. His central involvement in the science, programmatics and politics involving LENR make his records a significant part of the history of LENR.
A project has been initiated with Dr. Thomas Grimshaw to document Dr. Nagel’s LENR research and other activities. It is planned that his archives will be ordered and eventually transferred to a university library. The project is planned to realize several benefits:
- A collection of all of Dr. Nagel’s ICCF conference materials
- An ordered collection of everything he has written on LENR
- An ordered collection of all of his 100+ presentations
- Tabulations of notes from his phone calls and meetings
The project includes the following steps:
- Discussions by phone to develop an initial plan.
- A few day trip to Dr. Nagel’s office by Dr. Grimshaw to review the materials.
- Acquisition of a scanner for the laboratory.
- Scanning and labeling of files.
- Production of ordered and searchable files of the scanned materials.
- Phase 2 plans for additional ordering and archiving of remaining materials.
Professional Background
Dr. Nagel has enjoyed a lengthy professional career that has included many stages. His career is well summarized on his webpage on The George Washington University website:
“David J. Nagel graduated (magna cum laude) from the University of Notre Dame (B.S. in Engineering Science 1960), and performed graduate work at the University of Maryland (M.S. in Physics in 1969 and Ph.D. in Engineering Materials in 1977). During active duty with the Navy, he was Navigator aboard the USS ARNEB on OPERATION DEEPFREEZE (1960-2), and then served as a Technical Liaison Officer at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) (1962-4).
“After joining the civilian staff of the NRL in 1964, he held positions of increasing responsibility as a Research Physicist, Section Head, Branch Head and, finally, Superintendent of the Condensed Matter and Radiation Sciences Division. In the last position, he was a member of the Senior Executive Service, and managed the experimental and theoretical research and development efforts of 150 government and contractor personnel. At the NRL, Dr. Nagel’s research interests centered on radiation physics, especially x-ray spectroscopy, and on materials sciences, with applications to materials analysis, plasma diagnostics, integrated circuit production, environmental studies, “cold fusion”, and MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS).
“Dr. Nagel has written or co-authored over 150 technical articles, reports, book chapters and encyclopedia articles. He is lead-author of a patent on x-ray lithography, which formed the basis of a 100-person startup company in Rochester NY. After serving as Commanding Officer of three Reserve units and the national Technology Mobilization Program, he retired as a Captain in the United States Naval Reserve in 1990. He left Government Service, and became a Research Professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Science of The George Washington University, in 1998. He is now working on the development and applications of MEMS and microsystems for the military and other sectors, with special attention to radio-frequency and acoustic systems.”
LENR Research and Related Work
Dr. Nagel‘s research and other activities in the LENR field up to early 2008 have been well described in an interview by Marianne Macy. His career to early 2000 is further described in another interview by David van Keuren. Dr. Nagel‘s extensive contributions in the LENR field are demonstrated by his presentations and professional papers in several venues:
- Talks on Cold Fusion and LENR, 1997 to End of 2017
- Journal Publications on LENR
- Articles in Infinite Energy Magazine
Dr. Nagel is currently preparing a comprehensive book on LENR. An outline of the book is included in the Phase 1 report.
Research Documentation Project
The project to document Dr. Nagel‘s LENR research is being conducted in phases. In Phase 1, the materials were collected and described, and a plan was developed for more detailed and thorough examination and documentation in Phase 2.
Dr. Grimshaw visited Dr. Nagel‘s office and lab on September 17 and 18, 2018. The following components were identified for the Phase 1 report during the visit.
- Electronic Files on Work Computer
- Electronic Files on Home Computer
- Books on the Bookshelves in Office
- File Cabinets in Office
- File Cabinets in Laboratory
- Storage Boxes with Files in Laboratory
Each of the components was inventoried and described on a preliminary basis for guidance for the Phase 2 plan. The Phase 1 report was submitted to Dr. Nagel on October 26, 2018.
(Link to PDF file in progress.)