Melba Phillips facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Melba Newell Phillips
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| Born | February 1, 1907 |
| Died | November 8, 2004 (aged 97) |
| Awards | Oersted Medal (1974) |
| Scientific career | |
| Doctoral advisor | J. Robert Oppenheimer |
Melba Newell Phillips (born February 1, 1907 – died November 8, 2004) was an American physicist and a leader in science education. She was one of the first students to earn a Ph.D. from J. Robert Oppenheimer at the University of California, Berkeley in 1933. This was a time when very few women worked in science.
In 1935, Phillips and Oppenheimer wrote about the Oppenheimer–Phillips process. This was an important discovery in nuclear physics. It helped explain how certain atomic parts of hydrogen atoms behaved. Phillips was also known for standing up for her beliefs. She refused to answer questions from a U.S. Senate group during the McCarthy era. This led to her losing her job as a professor at Brooklyn College in 1952. (The college later apologized to her in 1987.)
Phillips also taught at the University of Minnesota (1941–44). She helped train teachers at Washington University in St. Louis (1957–62). Later, she became a physics professor at the University of Chicago (1962–72). Even after retiring, she taught at Stony Brook University (1972–75) and in China at the University of Science and Technology of China (1980). Phillips was a member of important science groups like the American Physical Society. She also wrote science textbooks and was very active in the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). The AAPT even created the Melba Newell Phillips Medal in her honor in 1981.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Melba Phillips was born on February 1, 1907, near Hazleton, Indiana. She was the oldest of four children and the only daughter of Eilda and Virgil Phillips.
She finished high school in 1922 when she was just fifteen years old. Melba wanted to be a teacher. She studied mathematics at Oakland City University in Indiana and earned her bachelor's degree in 1926. After that, she taught at her old high school for two years.
Phillips then went on to earn a master's degree in physics from Battle Creek College in Michigan in 1928. She received her doctorate degree in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1933. She was one of the first students to get a Ph.D. from J. Robert Oppenheimer. He later led the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb.
In 1935, Phillips and Oppenheimer published their work on the Oppenheimer–Phillips process. This explained how the cores of "heavy hydrogen" atoms acted when sped up. This was a very early and important discovery in the field of nuclear physics.
A Career in Science and Teaching
During a time when few women worked in science, Melba Phillips became a leading science educator. She spent most of her career as a physics professor.
Phillips started teaching during the Great Depression. At first, she had part-time jobs at Battle Creek College (1928–30) and Connecticut College for Women (1937–38). She also did research at the University of California and Bryn Mawr College. In 1936, she received an award from the American Association of University Women for her research. Her work focused on using quantum mechanics to study nuclear physics. Before joining Brooklyn College full-time in 1938, Phillips worked at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.
Phillips taught physics at Brooklyn College from 1938 to 1952. During World War II, she also taught at the University of Minnesota (1941–44). She did part-time research at the Columbia University Radiation Laboratory. In 1945, Phillips helped start the Federation of American Scientists.
Standing Up for Her Beliefs
In 1952, Phillips was called to appear before a U.S. Senate group. This group was investigating internal security during the McCarthy era. Phillips agreed to answer questions about her work as a scientist and teacher. However, she used her Fifth Amendment right to not answer questions about other topics, like whether she was part of the Communist party.
Because she refused to cooperate with the group, Phillips was fired from her teaching job at Brooklyn College. She also lost her part-time job at Columbia University. She did not have a college teaching job for five years.
While she was unemployed, Phillips used her savings and wrote two science textbooks. These books were Principles of Physical Science (1957) and Classical Electricity and Magnetism (1955). Both became important textbooks for college science classes.
Phillips returned to teaching in 1957. She became an associate director at a teacher-training center at Washington University in St. Louis. She stayed there until 1962. Then, she joined the University of Chicago as a physics professor. Under her guidance, the university started teaching physical science courses to students who were not science majors. She also made sure students had hands-on lab work. Phillips retired from the University of Chicago in 1972, but she kept teaching.
Phillips was very active in the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). She joined the AAPT in 1943. She was also the first woman to be its president (1966–67). She helped write the official history of the organization. Phillips also served on other important science education groups. For her work in science education, she became a fellow of the American Physical Society.
Later Years and Apology
After retiring from the University of Chicago in 1972, Phillips continued to teach. She was a visiting professor at Stony Brook University (1972–75). In 1980, she taught at the University of Science and Technology of China in Beijing.
In 1987, Brooklyn College publicly apologized to Phillips for firing her in 1952.
Death and Lasting Impact
Melba Phillips passed away on November 8, 2004, at the age of ninety-seven. She died from coronary artery disease in a nursing home in Petersburg, Indiana.
As a leading physics educator, Phillips received many awards for her contributions to science education. She is especially remembered for creating and using new ways to teach physics. She also wrote and edited books about the history of physics and the history of the American Association of Physics Teachers.
Awards and Honors
- Member of Phi Beta Kappa, an honor society.
- Fellow of the American Physical Society.
- Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
- In 1974, she received the Oersted Medal from the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). She also received the AAPT's Distinguished Service Citation in 1963.
- Phillips was the first person to receive the Melba Newell Phillips Medal in 1981. This award honors AAPT members who show great leadership and service.
- In 1981, she received the Karl Taylor Compton Award from the American Institute of Physics.
- In 1988, she received Vanderbilt University's Guy and Rebecca Forman Award for Outstanding Teaching in Undergraduate Physics.
- In 1997, Brooklyn College started a scholarship in her honor.
- In 2003, the American Physical Society gave Phillips the Joseph Burton Forum Award. This was for her work in science education, helping start the Federation of American Scientists, and being a role model for scientists.
Selected Books and Writings
- Principles of Physical Science, with Francis Bonner (1957)
- Classical Electricity and Magnetism, with Wolfgang Panofsky (1957)
- Principles of Electrodynamics and Relativity, with P. G. Bergmann (1962)
- On Teaching Physics: Reprints of American Journal of Physics Articles from the First Half Century of AAPT (1979)
- Physics History from AAPT Journals (1985)
- History of Physics (Readings from Physics Today, No 2) (1985)
- History of Physics II: The Life and Times of Modern Physics (Readings from Physics Today, No 5) (1992)
