Ernest Fox Nichols
Encyclopedia
Ernest Fox Nichols was a U.S. educator and physicist
. He was born in Leavenworth County, Kansas
, and received his undergraduate degree from Kansas State University
in 1888. After working for a year in the Chemistry Department at Kansas State, he matriculated to graduate school at Cornell University
, where he received degrees in 1893 and 1897. He also studied at the University of Berlin and Cambridge University
.
Nichols served as a professor of physics at Colgate University
from 1892–1898, at Dartmouth College
from 1898–1903, and Columbia University
from 1903-1909. Thereafter, Nichols served as the 10th President of Dartmouth College between 1909 and 1916, and as the president of MIT
from 1921 until 1923.
Nichols was awarded the Rumford Prize
by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1905 for his proof that light exerts pressure
. He was also elected Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences
.
expanded the frontiers of knowledge at the end of the 19th century. He was the first Dartmouth president since John Wheelock
who was not a member of the clergy
, yet his deep appreciation of the importance of broad-based scholarship to the moral and spiritual growth of students was internationally recognized.
Many of the College's most cherished institutions and traditions took shape during the Nichols administration, including the Dartmouth Outing Club
and Winter Carnival. In addition, to improve communications between Dartmouth and its growing body of graduates, President Nichols established the Dartmouth Council of Alumni.
Ernest Fox Nichols stepped down in 1916 to become a professor of physics at Yale University
and subsequently became president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Posted with Permission from Dartmouth College
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
. He was born in Leavenworth County, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, and received his undergraduate degree from Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
in 1888. After working for a year in the Chemistry Department at Kansas State, he matriculated to graduate school at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, where he received degrees in 1893 and 1897. He also studied at the University of Berlin and Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
Nichols served as a professor of physics at Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
from 1892–1898, at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
from 1898–1903, and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
from 1903-1909. Thereafter, Nichols served as the 10th President of Dartmouth College between 1909 and 1916, and as the president of MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
from 1921 until 1923.
Nichols was awarded the Rumford Prize
Rumford Prize
Founded in 1796, the Rumford Prize, awarded by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is one of the oldest scientific prizes in the United States. The prize recognizes contributions by scientists to the fields of heat and light...
by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1905 for his proof that light exerts pressure
Nichols radiometer
A Nichols radiometer was the apparatus used by Ernest Fox Nichols and Gordon Ferrie Hull in 1901 for the measurement of radiation pressure. It consisted of a pair of small silvered glass mirrors suspended in the manner of a torsion balance by a fine quartz fibre within an enclosure in which the air...
. He was also elected Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
.
Dartmouth Presidency
The appointment of Ernest Fox Nichols as the 10th president in the Wheelock Succession could be seen as both a reflection of the times and a tribute to the quality of Dartmouth's faculty. A member of the physics department and its chair at the time of his appointment, Nichols' pioneering work in the measurement of radiationRadiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
expanded the frontiers of knowledge at the end of the 19th century. He was the first Dartmouth president since John Wheelock
John Wheelock
John Wheelock was the eldest son of Eleazar Wheelock who was the founder and first president of Dartmouth College; John Wheelock succeeded his father as the College’s second president.-Early life:...
who was not a member of the clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
, yet his deep appreciation of the importance of broad-based scholarship to the moral and spiritual growth of students was internationally recognized.
Many of the College's most cherished institutions and traditions took shape during the Nichols administration, including the Dartmouth Outing Club
Dartmouth Outing Club
The Dartmouth Outing Club is the oldest and largest collegiate outing club in the United States. Proposed in 1909 by Dartmouth College student Fred Harris to "stimulate interest in out-of-door winter sports", the club soon grew to encompass the College's year-round outdoor recreation and has had...
and Winter Carnival. In addition, to improve communications between Dartmouth and its growing body of graduates, President Nichols established the Dartmouth Council of Alumni.
Ernest Fox Nichols stepped down in 1916 to become a professor of physics at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and subsequently became president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Posted with Permission from Dartmouth College