John D. Strong
| |
|---|---|
| Born | (1905-01-15)January 15, 1905
Riverdale, Kansas
|
| Died | March 28, 1992(1992-03-28) (aged 87)
Amherst, Massachusetts
|
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Known for | Optics |
| Awards | SPIE Gold Medal (1977) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics, Astronomy |
| Institutions | Caltech, Harvard, Johns Hopkins University |
| Doctoral students | Martin Summerfield |
John Donovan Strong (1905-1992) was an American physicist and astronomer.[1] One of the world's foremost optical scientists of his day, Strong was known for being the first to detect water vapor in the atmosphere of Venus and for developing a number of innovations in optical devices, ranging from improved telescope mirrors to anti-reflective coatings for optical elements and diffraction gratings.
Born in Lawrence, Kansas in 1905,[2] Strong received degrees from the University of Kansas (BA 1926) and the University of Michigan (M.S., 1928, Ph.D., 1930). After twelve years at Caltech and wartime research at Harvard on infrared systems, Strong became professor and director of the Astrophysics and Physical Meteorology Laboratories at Johns Hopkins University in 1946, where, among many other projects, he conducted research on balloon astronomy for the Office of Naval Research (ONR). He retired in 1981.[3] Strong died of pancreatic cancer in 1992.[4][5]
Strong published hundreds of papers throughout his career and was author of Procedures in Experimental Physics, a standard physics textbook for many years. Strong served as president of the American Optical Association in 1959[2] and patented numerous inventions for optics in spectroscopy as well as golf (see US patent 3720467A ).
Strong won Longstreth and Levy Medals from the Franklin Institute and OSA's Frederic Ives Medal.[3]
John Donovan Strong was born in Riverdale, Kansas, on 15 January 1905.
John Donovan Strong, an astronomer who was a professor at Johns Hopkins University before moving to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, died of cancer Saturday [21 March] at a nursing home in Amherst. He was 87.
John D. Strong, a scientist and inventor who discovered water vapor on Venus and advanced the development of telescope mirrors and other optical devices, died on Saturday at the Amherst Nursing Home in Amherst, Mass. He was 87 years old. He died of pancreatic cancer, his family said.
| International |
|
|---|---|
| National |
|
| Other |
|
   | This article about an American physicist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
