[2] As he later recalled, before he had finished his studies he was invited by Glenn Seaborg to interview for a position working on the Manhattan Project.
He was subsequently drafted into the Navy and served for nine months before being discharged for disability due to rheumatic fever.
[3][4] He subsequently returned to the University of Michigan and received his Ph.D. in 1953 under the supervision of Lawrence Brockway.
[1][5] Bartell began his academic career at Iowa State University, where he joined the faculty in 1953.
[4][2] After his retirement, Bartell has written several memoirs, including a paper describing his experiences working on the Manhattan Project[6] and a self-published book called True Stories of Strange Events and Odd People: A Memoir.