Jeff Schmidt (writer)
Encyclopedia
Jeff Schmidt is a physicist
who wrote Disciplined Minds
, a critique of the socialization and training of professionals. Schmidt was fired from his job of 19 years as an associate editor for Physics Today
, the magazine of the American Institute of Physics
(AIP), on allegations that he wrote the book on his employer's time. Schmidt's firing led to a public campaign involving academics and physicists, with 500 physicists signing a letter in support of Schmidt. The public campaign in turn led to a legal case, carried by Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, a law firm specializing in civil liberties issues, that produced a favorable settlement for Schmidt, including anti-discrimination policy changes at AIP.
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...
who wrote Disciplined Minds
Disciplined Minds
Disciplined Minds is a book by physicist Jeff Schmidt, published in the year 2000. The book describes how professionals are made; the methods of professional and graduate schools that turn eager entering students into disciplined managerial and intellectual workers that correctly perceive and...
, a critique of the socialization and training of professionals. Schmidt was fired from his job of 19 years as an associate editor for Physics Today
Physics Today
Physics Today, created in 1948, is the membership journal of the American Institute of Physics. It is provided to 130,000 members of twelve physics societies, including the American Physical Society...
, the magazine of the American Institute of Physics
American Institute of Physics
The American Institute of Physics promotes science, the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies...
(AIP), on allegations that he wrote the book on his employer's time. Schmidt's firing led to a public campaign involving academics and physicists, with 500 physicists signing a letter in support of Schmidt. The public campaign in turn led to a legal case, carried by Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, a law firm specializing in civil liberties issues, that produced a favorable settlement for Schmidt, including anti-discrimination policy changes at AIP.