Melba Phillips
Encyclopedia
Melba Newell Phillips was an American
physicist and science educator. She completed her doctoral studies under J. Robert Oppenheimer and was also known for refusing to testify before a U.S. Senate
Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on internal security, her actions leading to her dismissal by Brooklyn College
.
Melba Phillips was born in Hazleton
, Indiana
. She graduated from high school at the age of 15 and went on to study Mathematics
at Oakland City College
, Indiana graduating in 1926. She received a master's degree in physics from Battle Creek College of Michigan
in 1928 and her doctorate in physics
in 1933 at the University of California, Berkeley
.
Phillips's supervisor at Berkeley was J. Robert Oppenheimer, who would later become scientific head of the Allied atomic bomb effort, the Manhattan Project
. Together they described the Oppenheimer-Phillips effect explaining the behaviour of accelerated nuclei of radioactive hydrogen atoms in 1935.
Phillips took up her first teaching position at the Connecticut College
for Women in 1937, moving on to Brooklyn College in 1938. While at the College she helped organize the founding of the Federation of American Scientists
in 1945. During World War II
she taught at the University of Minnesota
, returning to Brooklyn College after the war. Highly regarded as a physics educator, she was fired from the College in 1952 when she refused to testify before the McCarran
internal security subcommittee during the McCarthy era
. Brooklyn College publicly apologised to Phillips in 1987.
While unemployed Phillips wrote two textbooks, Principles of Physical Science (1957), with Francis Bonner, and Classical Electricity and Magnetism (1955), with Wolfgang Panofsky.
Phillips returned to teaching in 1957, when she became associate director of a teacher-training institute at Washington University in St. Louis
. In 1962 she took up a position at the University of Chicago
, under her guidance the university began teaching physical science
courses to non-science majors. She retired from the University in 1972. After retiring in 1972, she worked as a visiting professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook
, until 1975 and at the Graduate School of the University of Science and Technology of China
, Chinese Academy of Science, in Beijing
in 1980.
She was active in the American Association of Physics Teachers
(AAPT), throughout her career. She was also an elected fellow of the American Physical Society
and the American Association for the Advancement of Science
.
Phillips died of coronary artery disease on November 8, 2004 in a nursing home in Petersburg
, Indiana.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist and science educator. She completed her doctoral studies under J. Robert Oppenheimer and was also known for refusing to testify before a U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on internal security, her actions leading to her dismissal by Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
.
Melba Phillips was born in Hazleton
Hazleton, Indiana
Hazleton is a town in White River Township, Gibson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 263 at the 2010 census.- History :Hazleton is the second oldest town in Gibson county after Princeton. It was named in honor of Gervas Hazleton, the second settler in the county to permanently...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. She graduated from high school at the age of 15 and went on to study Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at Oakland City College
Oakland City University
Oakland City University, abbreviated as OCU, is a coeducational, small-town, urban, private university in Oakland City in eastern Gibson County, about north and slightly east of Evansville in Southwestern Indiana. Oakland City University is the only General Baptist Church-affiliated college in the...
, Indiana graduating in 1926. She received a master's degree in physics from Battle Creek College of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
in 1928 and her doctorate in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
in 1933 at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
Phillips's supervisor at Berkeley was J. Robert Oppenheimer, who would later become scientific head of the Allied atomic bomb effort, the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
. Together they described the Oppenheimer-Phillips effect explaining the behaviour of accelerated nuclei of radioactive hydrogen atoms in 1935.
Phillips took up her first teaching position at the Connecticut College
Connecticut College
Connecticut College is a private liberal arts college located in New London, Connecticut.The college was founded in 1911, as Connecticut College for Women, in response to Wesleyan University closing its doors to women...
for Women in 1937, moving on to Brooklyn College in 1938. While at the College she helped organize the founding of the Federation of American Scientists
Federation of American Scientists
The Federation of American Scientists is a nonpartisan, 501 organization intent on using science and scientific analysis to attempt make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs...
in 1945. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she taught at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, returning to Brooklyn College after the war. Highly regarded as a physics educator, she was fired from the College in 1952 when she refused to testify before the McCarran
Pat McCarran
Patrick Anthony McCarran was a Democratic United States Senator from Nevada from 1933 until 1954, and was noted for his strong anti-Communist stance.-Early life and career:...
internal security subcommittee during the McCarthy era
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
. Brooklyn College publicly apologised to Phillips in 1987.
While unemployed Phillips wrote two textbooks, Principles of Physical Science (1957), with Francis Bonner, and Classical Electricity and Magnetism (1955), with Wolfgang Panofsky.
Phillips returned to teaching in 1957, when she became associate director of a teacher-training institute at Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. In 1962 she took up a position at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, under her guidance the university began teaching physical science
Physical science
Physical science is an encompassing term for the branches of natural science and science that study non-living systems, in contrast to the life sciences...
courses to non-science majors. She retired from the University in 1972. After retiring in 1972, she worked as a visiting professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook
State University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
, until 1975 and at the Graduate School of the University of Science and Technology of China
University of Science and Technology of China
The University of Science and Technology of China is a national research university in Hefei, People's Republic of China. It is a member of the C9 League formed by nine top universities in China...
, Chinese Academy of Science, in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in 1980.
She was active in the American Association of Physics Teachers
American Association of Physics Teachers
The American Association of Physics Teachers was founded in 1930 for the purpose of "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." There are more than 10,000 members that reside in over 30 countries. AAPT publications include two peer-reviewed journals, the American...
(AAPT), throughout her career. She was also an elected fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
and the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
.
Phillips died of coronary artery disease on November 8, 2004 in a nursing home in Petersburg
Petersburg, Indiana
Petersburg is a city in Washington Township, Pike County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,383 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Pike County.Petersburg is part of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Indiana.
Publications
- Principles of Physical Science. 1957. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co
- On Teaching Physics: Reprints of American Journal of Physics Articles from the First Half Century of AAPT (50 Years). 1980. American Association of Physics Teachers ISBN 0-318-41540-2
- Physics History from AAPT Journals. 1985. American Association of Physics Teachers ISBN 0-917853-14-8
- History of Physics (Readings from Physics Today, No 2). 1985. AIP Press ISBN 0-88318-468-0
- The Life and Times of Modern Physics: History of Physics II (Readings from Physics Today, No 5). 1993. AIP Press ISBN 0-88318-846-5
- Classical Electricity and Magnetism, Second Edition. 2005. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-43924-0