Max Carbon Fund

We invest in good people

For more than 50 years, Professor Emeritus Max Carbon has been a fixture on the UW-Madison engineering campus. Not only was he a leader in developing the UW-Madison nuclear engineering program back in 1958, he played an integral role in the ongoing success of what became the Department of Nuclear Engineering, serving as chair for three decades. During this time, the UW-Madison nuclear engineering undergraduate and graduate programs both were ranked in the top-five U.S. nuclear engineering programs, and nearly 870 students earned degrees from the department.

Thanks to Max’s vision and enduring leadership, UW-Madison nuclear engineering graduates continue to make a mark on the nuclear industry at utilities, service vendors, manufacturers, and beyond. They also contribute to nuclear engineering research and education in positions at national and international laboratories or universities.

Noted for his research in liquid metal heat transfer and fast reactor safety, Max was a 12-year member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. He also has held positions on the National Nuclear Accrediting Board for the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations and the University of Chicago Special Advisory Committee for the Nuclear Technology Program at Argonne National Laboratory, among others. In 1992, he originated a unique government-utility partnership that became the U.S. Department of Energy/Industry Matching Grants Program. This program provides flexible funds to universities for scholarships, improving curriculum and updating experimental and instructional facilities.

Although he officially retired from the department in 1992, Max continues to influence to the field of nuclear engineering research and public understanding. In 1997, he authored Nuclear Power: Villian or Victim? Our Most Misunderstood Source of Electricity. Written for a lay audience, the book simply and clearly lays out the benefits and risks of nuclear power. Updated in 2006, the book’s second edition is available electronically and has been translated into four languages.

In honor of Max’s lifelong contributions to the nuclear engineering field, to his development of a top-notch nuclear engineering program at UW-Madison, and to his support of and dedication to countless undergraduate and graduate students, we've launched the Max Carbon Fund.

Through this initiative, we hope to increase the amount of flexible funding available for our nuclear engineering program. Your gifts enable our entire department—and our faculty, staff and students—to learn and accomplish more. Administered through the University of Wisconsin Foundation, your gifts via this fund will strengthen and sustain our tradition of excellence and advancement in the field of nuclear engineering.

Donate securely to the Max Carbon Fund on the UW Foundation website or make checks payable to the University of Wisconsin Foundation (memo: Max Carbon Fund, #12634405), and mail your donation to the University of Wisconsin Foundation, U.S. Bank Lockbox, P.O. Box 78807, Milwaukee, WI, 53278-0807.

Thank you for your continued support of nuclear engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison!

Michael Corradini
Wisconsin Distinguished Professor and Chair,
Department of Engineering Physics
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Building on a legacy

Max Carbon Fund

We invest in good people