Hubert Newcombe Alyea (October 10, 1903 – October 19, 1996)''Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014''.

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify ...

. was an American professor of chemistry at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. His explosive chemistry demonstrations earned him the nickname "Dr. Boom". He was famous around the world for his "zany, eccentric" public lectures on science, which "were as much performance as professorship". Alyea served as inspiration for the title character in the 1961 film '' The Absent-Minded Professor''. In 1984, Alyea received the

Joseph Priestley Joseph Priestley (; 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject educator, and liberal political theorist. He published over 150 works, and conducted exp ...

award.

Career at Princeton

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' described his Princeton lectures as follows:

Public lectures

According to ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine, he "lectured with an animated, dynamic style that drew enthusiastic audiences of all ages". ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'' magazine reported "Grimacing with fiendish delight... he sets off explosions, shoots water pistols and sprays his audience with carbon dioxide in the course of 32 harrowing experiments dramatizing complicated theory". A shortened version of the lecture was featured on a 1955 NBC TV series ''Princeton '55: An Exploration into Education through Television''; it won an Emmy. "Lucky Accidents, Great Discoveries, and the Prepared Mind" was a lecture he gave frequently about the nature of scientific discovery.

Retirement

After his retirement, Alyea continued to deliver lectures at Princeton reunions. His memoir, ''My Life as a Chemist'', was published in 1991. Alyea died in his sleep at his home in Hightstown, New Jersey, on October 22, 1996, at the age of 93.

Awards

#New Jersey Science Teachers Award (1954) #New Jersey Education Citation (1957) #Chemical Manufacturers Association Award (1964) #Award from the New Jersey Chapter of the

American Institute of Chemists The American Institute of Chemists (AIC) is an organization founded in 1923 with the goal of advancing the chemistry profession in the United States. The institute is known for its yearly awards recognizing contributions of individuals in this fi ...

(1966) #Award in Chemical Education from the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

(1970) #James Flack Norris Award from the Northeast Section of the American Chemical Society (1970) #Robert H. Carleton Award from the National Science Teachers Association (1991) #Joseph Priestley Award (1984)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alyea, Hubert 1903 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American chemists People from Clifton, New Jersey People from Hightstown, New Jersey Princeton University faculty Princeton University alumni University of Minnesota fellows