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Albert Edward Caswell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Albert Edward Caswell
Portrait of Albert Edward Caswell
BornMay 24, 1884
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
DiedJune 18, 1954
Eugene, Oregon
Other namesA. E. Caswell
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materStanford University
Known forProperties of Metals
AwardsAmerican Physical Society Fellow,
National Research Fellowship
Scientific career
FieldsProperties of Metals
InstitutionsStanford University
Purdue University
University of Oregon
Oregon State University
Princeton University
MIT Radiation Lab
ThesisDetermination of Peltier Electromotive Force for Several Metals by Compensation of Methods (1911)
Doctoral advisorFernando Sanford

Albert Edward Caswell (1884–1954), was head of the department of physics at the University of Oregon from 1934 to 1949, a professor emeritus, and Fellow of the American Physical Society.

Early life and education

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Albert Edward Caswell, son of John J. Caswell and Patience Ethel Smith, was born May 24, 1884, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He married Mary Constance Edwards on July 3, 1912, in Santa Clara, California. They were parents of four children.[1]

Caswell earned an A.B. in mathematics at Stanford University in 1908,[2] and a Ph.D. in physics at Stanford in 1911.[1][3] His dissertation, advised by Fernando Sanford, was titled, Determination of Peltier Electromotive Force for Several Metals by Compensation of Methods.[4][5]

Caswell became a U.S. citizen December 22, 1909.[6]

He was a member of the Central Presbyterian Church of Eugene and a trustee of the Westminster Foundation.[7]

Career

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Caswell's first academic appointment was teaching at Stanford for three years, then teaching at Purdue University from 1911 to 1913. He joined the faculty at the University of Oregon, serving there between 1914 and 1949, and researching the properties of metals.[8] He was a National Research Fellow at Princeton University in 1919–1920.[9] From 1931 to 1933, he was transferred to Oregon State University, "as a result of the unification of the State System of Higher Education".[10] He returned to the University of Oregon and was appointed chair of the department of physics in 1934. He was chair until 1949, and he was later named professor emeritus.[1]

Caswell authored a widely used textbook in general physics.[1] During World War II Caswell served on staff at the MIT Radiation Laboratory, where he led a section that produced instructional handbooks for prototype radar sets.[11]

He died in Eugene, Oregon, on June 18, 1954.[12]

Selected publications

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Books

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  • Caswell, A. E. (1928). An outline of physics. Macmillan.
  • Caswell, A. E. (February 1944) Handbook of Instructions for AN/APA-9 radar set. Complete edition. (MIT Radiation Lab Rept M148C.) 253 p.

Journal articles

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Awards, honors

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Caswell, Albert E. (Albert Edward), 1884-1954". Purdue University Archives and Special Collections. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  2. ^ "San Jose Times Star 14 January 1908 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  3. ^ Proceedings of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. American Institute of Electrical Engineers. 1919. p. 264.
  4. ^ "San Francisco Call 23 May 1911 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  5. ^ Caswell, A. E. (2011). "Determination of Peltier Electromotive Force for Several Metals by Compensation Methods". Physical Review. Series I. 33 (5): 379–402. Bibcode:1911PhRvI..33..379C. doi:10.1103/PhysRevSeriesI.33.379. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  6. ^ "California, U.S., State Court Naturalization Records, 1850-1986". www.ancestry.com. 1909. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  7. ^ "Obituary for Physicist A. E Caswell (Aged 70)". The Eugene Guard. June 19, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  8. ^ Donnelly, Russell J. (March 20, 2016). "Early History of the Department of Physics" (PDF).
  9. ^ Catalogue. University of Oregon. 1922. p. 9.
  10. ^ Yunker, E. A. (1966). "A Brief History of the Department of Physics at Oregon State University" (PDF). Physics Oregon State University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  11. ^ Bibliography of Scientific and Industrial Reports. Office of Technical Services, U.S. Department of Commerce. 1946.
  12. ^ "Albert E. Caswell". Physics Today. 7 (9): 24. September 1, 1954. doi:10.1063/1.3061769. ISSN 0031-9228.
  13. ^ Proceedings of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. American Institute of Electrical Engineers. July 1919. p. 264.
  14. ^ "APS Fellow Archive". www.aps.org. Retrieved July 26, 2021.