Oral History interview with Martin Harwit, 1983 April 19, June 20, and June 22.

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Oral History interview with Martin Harwit, 1983 April 19, June 20, and June 22.

After surveying Martin Harwit's family background and early education, the interview concentrates on: his graduate education at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; his career in physics at Cambridge Unviersity as a NATO Fellow; his time at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) as a National Science Foundation Fellow; and, principally, his work at Cornell as assistant and associate professor of astronomoy, professor, and chairman of the Physics department. While discussing his childhood and education, Harwit addresses the antisemitism he and his family faced in German and in the United States. This interview covers a broad range of his scientific interest: galaxy and star formations; comets; infrared optics, especially relating to detector technology; infrared astronomy; rocketry; history of philosophy in science; use of balloons in observation; and astronomy education. Some affliliations discussed include: John Decker, Herbert Friedman, Thomas Gold, and Fred Hoyle.

Transcript: 135 pages (3 sessions).

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 6862512

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There are 11 Entities related to this resource.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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The Department of General Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) did not officially exist until 1882. Courses in general studies were offered as early as 1865, when the MIT Catalog offered a curriculum option called the Course in Science and Literature. At that time, all regular MIT students were required to take “general studies” classes from the Course in Science and Literature, in addition to English, history, and modern languages. In 1882 the Course in Scienc...

Cornell University Dept. of Physics

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Decker, John Alvin, 1900-

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DeVorkin, David H., 1944-....

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University of Cambridge.

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Harvard University celebrated its 250th anniversary in 1886. Many institutions of higher education, governments, and individuals sent greetings and congratulations to commemorate the occasion. This seal accompanied greetings from the University of Cambridge, England, to the university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. From the description of Sigillum coe cancellarii mror et scholariu Universitat Cantebrigie, 1886. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 228509847 The University...

Friedman, Herbert, 1916-2000

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Herbert Friedman received his Ph.D. in physics from Johns Hopkins University in 1940, and began working at the Naval Research Lab a year later. After two years of using X-ray radiation to detect manufacturing flaws, he was appointed head of the Electron Optics (1943-1958) branch of the Rocketry Division. In 1958 Friedman took over the Space Science Division until his retirement. From the description of Oral History interview with Herbert Friedman, 1983 June 7. (Unknown). WorldCat rec...

Gold, Thomas, Sir, -1686

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Died June 22, 2004. From the description of Oral history interview with Thomas Gold, 1978 April 1. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 78228370 Thomas Gold (1920-2004). Astronomer. Education: Cambridge University. Professional experience: Cavendish Laboratory, 1946-1947; Trinity College, 1947-1951; Royal Greenwich Observatory, 1952-1956; Harvard University, 1957-1958; Cornell University, 1959-1987. Research interests: cosmology, geophysics, radio astronomy, magnetohydrodynamics. ...

Hoyle, Fred, 1915-2001

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Infrared Astronomical Satellite

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Harwit, Martin, 1931-

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Astrophysicist. Martin Harwit served as professor of astronomy at Cornell University and as co-director of the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology Program. In 1987 he was appointed director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. He received a Ph.D. in physics in 1960 from M.I.T. and taught at Cornell since 1962. Harwit's research interests have included observational astronomy, theoretical astrophysics, infrared astronomy, galaxy formation, and the history o...

Naval Research Laboratory (U.S.)

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