Purcell, pur SEHL, Edward Mills (1912-1997), an American physicist, won a portion of the 1952 Nobel Prize in physics. He shared the award with the American physicist Felix Bloch for developing a simple but precise method for determining the magnetic properties of nuclei. This method is used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a technique used to produce images of tissues in the body. Radio astronomers also use the method to detect hydrogen in space. In addition, Purcell served as an adviser to the United States government on science policy. He was born on Aug. 30, 1912, in Taylorville, Illinois. In 1949, he became a professor of physics at Harvard University. He died on March 7, 1997.