Oral History:Yukikazu Iwasa (2014)

Yukikazu Iwasa was born in Kyoto, Japan on February 15, 1938. After completing primary and secondary education in Japan, he attended Westminster College in Utah for a year before transferring to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1962 he earned a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering, followed by a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 1967. Starting In 1964, Iwasa joined the the staff of MIT’s Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory (FBNML), later the Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory.He has been there ever since. In 1964-1966 and 1967-1982 he was on the research staff, 1982-1996 he was Associate Head of the Magnet Technology Division, and in 1996 he became head of the Magnet Technology Division. In addition to this, he was a graduate research assistant in the MIT Electrical Engineering department from 1966-1967 and became a research professor at MIT in the 1980s, teaching courses in mechanical engineering and superconductivity. His research interests focus on low- and high-temperature superconducting magnet technology, and cryogenic engineering, culminating in the publication of several journal articles and a first edition textbook, Case Studies in Superconducting Magnets (1994); a second edition followed years later.

In this interview, Iwasa outlines his accomplishments in the field of superconducting magnets during his time at the FBNML, especially his work on adiabatic magnets, MgB2 applications for MRIs, and fusion magnets. He discusses the social and professional difficulties and challenges faced during and after the Second World War as a Japanese citizen. Additionally, he reflects on his contributions to the development of superconducting magnets, and on the evolution of the field over the course of his career.