Robert Wolke

Robert L. Wolke
Wolke in 2006
Born(1928-04-02)April 2, 1928
New York City, New York
Died(2021-08-29)August 29, 2021 (age 93)
Mount Washington, Pennsylvania
AwardsJames T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry; International Association of Culinary Professionals
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of Pittsburgh

Robert L. Wolke (/wɔːlk/;[1] April 2, 1928 – August 29, 2021) was an American chemist and professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh.[2][3] He was a food columnist for The Washington Post and wrote multiple books to explain everyday phenomena in non-technical terms:

  • What Einstein Didn't Know: Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions answers everyday questions (e.g., "Why do car batteries go dead in winter?" and "Why does warm beer go flat?"), attempting to explain scientifically without using technical terms (though it often shows technical terms after their definitions). It also contains bar bets and "Try it" experiments related to the current subject.
  • What Einstein Told His Barber: More Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions, a nonfiction book, is the sequel to What Einstein Didn't Know: Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions.
  • What Einstein Told His Cook 2, the Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science (ISBN 0-393-05869-7) is a nonfiction book and sequel to What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained. It answers common questions related to kitchen science.

Awards

Wolke won awards such as the American Chemical Society's 2005 James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public,[6] the International Association of Culinary Professionals' Bert Greene Award, and the James Beard Foundation's award for the best newspaper column.

Death

Wolke died on August 29, 2021, of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 93.

References

  1. ^ "Dr Robert Wolke discusses safety and cookware with Teflon® nonstick coating". YouTube. June 14, 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  2. ^ Interview with Robert Wolke, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2002
  3. ^ Obituary: Robert L. Wolke, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 2, 2021
  4. ^ "Robert Wolke". Robert Wolke. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  5. ^ "What Einstein Told His Cook by Robert Wolke - Letters On Pages". October 4, 2011. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "American Chemical Society". assets.acs.org.s3.amazonaws.com. Retrieved March 26, 2019.