▁sp anned ▁nearly ▁eight ▁dec ades , ▁including ▁almost ▁ 4 0 ▁years ▁working ▁at ▁Pr inc eton ▁University . ▁ ▁Early ▁life ▁and ▁education ▁Sh err ▁was ▁born ▁to ▁Lith uan ian ▁Jewish ▁imm igr ants ▁in ▁Long ▁Branch , ▁New ▁Jersey , ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 3 . ▁After ▁gradu ating ▁from ▁Lake wood ▁High ▁School , ▁he ▁attended ▁New ▁York ▁University ▁at ▁his ▁mother ' s ▁beh est , ▁gain ing ▁a ▁b ach elor ' s ▁degree ▁in ▁physics ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 4 . ▁He ▁then ▁went ▁to ▁study ▁at ▁Pr inc eton ▁University , ▁where ▁he ▁obtained ▁a ▁doctor ate ▁in ▁physics ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 8 . ▁ ▁Manh attan ▁Project ▁In ▁ 1 9 4 2 , ▁Sh err ▁joined ▁the ▁M IT ▁Rad iation ▁Labor atory , ▁where ▁he ▁worked ▁to ▁develop ▁new ▁air bor ne ▁rad ar ▁systems . ▁In ▁ 1 9 4 4 , ▁he ▁became ▁involved ▁with ▁the ▁Manh attan ▁Project , ▁which ▁was ▁task ed ▁with ▁creating ▁the ▁first ▁nuclear ▁weapon . ▁T ogether ▁with ▁Klaus ▁F uchs , ▁Sh err ▁developed ▁a ▁key ▁component ▁of ▁the ▁bomb ' s ▁trigger ing ▁mechanism , ▁the ▁F uchs – S herr ▁pol on ium - ber yl li um ▁mod ulated ▁neut ron ▁initi ator . ▁On ▁July ▁ 1 6 , ▁ 1 9 4 5 , ▁Sh err ▁was ▁present ▁at ▁the ▁Tr inity ▁nuclear ▁test ▁in ▁New ▁Mexico . ▁He ▁later ▁re called ▁thinking