Titus Pankey facts for kids

Titus Pankey (born November 20, 1925 – died September 20, 2003) was an American scientist. He was a physicist and a professor. He studied how materials react to magnets (magnetic susceptibility). He also studied the universe, especially huge star explosions called supernovas. Dr. Pankey was the first person to earn a PhD in physics from Howard University. He was also one of the first ten Black people in the U.S. to get a PhD in physics. He was important because he was the first to suggest how a certain type of supernova gets its power.

Early Life and Military Service

Titus Pankey, Jr., was born in 1925 in Hinton, West Virginia. He spent his childhood between Hinton and Charlottesville, Virginia. He graduated from high school in Charlottesville.

After high school, he worked on a train as a Pullman porter. He helped pay for his four sisters' college education. Later, he worked in a lab at the University of Virginia Hospital.

He joined the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He served until 1954. While in the Army, he earned two battle stars. These awards showed his bravery in combat.

Education and Achievements

After his military service, Pankey went to Howard University in Washington, D.C.. He studied physics as an undergraduate student. He graduated with high honors (magna cum laude).

He continued his studies at Howard University. He earned both his master's and PhD degrees in physics there. In 1962, he completed his PhD. This made him the first person to get a physics PhD from Howard University.

His main advisor was Herman Branson. Dr. Pankey's PhD paper was about "Possible Thermonuclear Activities in Natural Terrestrial Minerals." This means he studied if nuclear reactions could happen inside Earth's rocks.

In 1958, he was chosen for the Phi Beta Kappa honors society. This group recognizes excellent college students. He was also elected to the Sigma Xi science honors society.

Career and Discoveries

In his PhD paper, Dr. Pankey explored how Earth gets its heat. He looked at whether nuclear fusion inside the Earth could be a source. He measured how rocks reacted to magnets and how much iron they contained.

Even though we now know Earth's heat comes from radioactive decay, Pankey's paper was very important. It included a new idea about Type Ia supernovas. He suggested that the light from these supernovas comes from radioactive decay.

He thought that nickel-56 decays quickly into cobalt-56. Then, cobalt-56 decays more slowly into stable iron-56. This idea explained the two stages of light from these supernovas. This was the first time anyone suggested this explanation.

His idea was not widely known at first. But later, other scientists developed the same theory. In 2014, scientists found direct proof for Pankey's idea. This confirmed his early hypothesis.

In 1957, while still a student, Pankey started working. He became a research physicist at the United States Naval Research Laboratory. There, he studied materials and the universe.

He worked with John E. Davey on material science. They showed how to grow thin films of gallium arsenide. This was a big step for a process called molecular-beam epitaxy. They also created a new way to make gallium phosphide coatings.

After getting his PhD, Pankey became a professor at Howard University. He taught physics there until 1979. He then had to stop teaching due to a serious injury. After recovering, he continued his physics research from home.

Personal Life

Titus Pankey was married to Anita-Rae Smith-Pankey. They later divorced. They had five children together. Around 1980, he moved back to the Charlottesville area. He lived there until he passed away.