Timothy J. Jorgensen Books
Timothy J. Jorgensen is an associate professor of radiation medicine and director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program at Georgetown University.
Known for: Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation
Books by Timothy J. Jorgensen
Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation
Radiation is one of the most misunderstood forces in modern life: invisible, powerful, feared, and yet deeply woven into medicine, energy, industry, and the natural world. In Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation, Timothy J. Jorgensen guides readers through the history and science of radiation with unusual clarity, showing how discoveries that once seemed miraculous also introduced new risks, ethical dilemmas, and public anxieties. The book moves from the first X-rays and early enthusiasm for radioactive substances to nuclear weapons, reactor accidents, cancer treatment, and the radiation exposure all of us experience every day. What makes this book especially valuable is its balance. Jorgensen neither minimizes radiation’s dangers nor sensationalizes them. Instead, he explains dose, risk, and biological effects in practical terms that help readers separate evidence from fear. As a radiation biologist, associate professor of radiation medicine, and director of Georgetown University’s Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program, he brings scientific authority along with a strong commitment to public education. The result is an accessible, deeply relevant account of how radiation has shaped the modern world—and why understanding it matters for every informed citizen.
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The Dawn of the Invisible
Some of the most world-changing discoveries begin with something no one can see. That was the case in the late nineteenth century, when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X-rays and Henri Becquerel, followed by Marie and Pierre Curie, revealed the phenomenon of radioactivity. Suddenly, scientists realized ...
From Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation
How Radiation Really Works
Fear tends to grow wherever understanding is weak. One of Jorgensen’s central achievements is to make radiation understandable without oversimplifying it. Radiation, he explains, is energy traveling as waves or particles, often released by unstable atoms trying to become more stable. The major types...
From Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation
Medicine’s Powerful Double-Edged Tool
A force capable of injuring tissue can also be used to heal. That paradox lies at the heart of radiation medicine. Jorgensen traces how radiation moved from an almost magical novelty to a disciplined clinical tool. X-rays revolutionized diagnosis by allowing doctors to see inside the body, while rad...
From Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation
Radiation Beyond the Hospital Walls
Radiation’s story is not confined to laboratories or clinics; it runs through factories, power plants, farms, and battlefields. Jorgensen broadens the discussion by showing how radioactive materials and radiation technologies became essential to modern industry. Radiation sterilizes medical equipmen...
From Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation
When Accidents Change Public Consciousness
People often learn about invisible dangers only after systems fail. Nuclear accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima became defining events because they turned an abstract technical risk into a public drama of contamination, evacuation, and distrust. Jorgensen examines these disasters not simply as...
From Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation
The Radiation We Live With
One reason radiation feels so frightening is that many people imagine it as something foreign and unnatural. Jorgensen corrects this misconception by showing that radiation is everywhere. We are exposed constantly to natural background radiation from cosmic rays, rocks, soil, radon gas, and even tra...
From Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation
About Timothy J. Jorgensen
Timothy J. Jorgensen is an associate professor of radiation medicine and director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program at Georgetown University. His research focuses on radiation biology and public health communication about radiation risks.
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Timothy J. Jorgensen is an associate professor of radiation medicine and director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program at Georgetown University.
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