John S. Rigden was an internationally renowned
American physicist. His areas of expertise were
molecular physics
Molecular physics is the study of the physical properties of molecules and molecular dynamics. The field overlaps significantly with physical chemistry, chemical physics, and quantum chemistry. It is often considered as a sub-field of atomic, m ...
and the
history of science. He was the former co-editor of the scholarly journal ''
Physics in Perspective
''Physics in Perspective'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Birkhäuser. It covers historical, philosophical, and social scientific perspectives of physics. The editors-in-chief are Joseph D. Martin (Durham University) and ...
'', published by
Birkhäuser Publishing in
Basel, Switzerland
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS), ...
. Rigden died November 24, 2017, of cardiac arrest at St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis. He was 83.
Education
Rigden received his B.S. from
Eastern Nazarene College
The Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) is a private, Christian college in Quincy, Massachusetts. Established as a holiness college in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1900, the college moved to Rhode Island for several years. With its expansion to a four-ye ...
in
Quincy, Massachusetts, his Ph.D. from
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
. He served on the faculty of his alma mater,
Eastern Nazarene, as well as
Middlebury College and the
University of Missouri-St. Louis. He was also an Honorary Professor of Physics at
Washington University
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
and held an honorary Doctor of Science degree from
Denison University
Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...
.
Career
Rigden was editor of the ''
American Journal of Physics
The ''American Journal of Physics'' is a monthly, peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics. The editor-in-chief is Beth Parks of Colgate University."Current F ...
'' from 1975 to 1985. In 1987, he joined the
American Institute of Physics
The American Institute of Physics (AIP) promotes science and the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies. Its corpora ...
, where he served as Director of Physics Programs. In 1992, he was appointed Director of Development of the National Science Standards Project at the
National Academy of Sciences. In 1995, he was elected chairman of the History of Physics Forum of the
American Physical Society (of which he was a fellow). He also served on committees for the
American Association of Physics Teachers
The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) was founded in 1930 for the purpose of "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." There are more than 10,000 members in over 30 countries. AAPT publications includ ...
, the American Physical Society, the
American Association for the Advancement of Science (of which he was also a fellow), and the
National Academy of Sciences. He served as a
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
(NSF) consultant to the country of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in 1968 and again in 1969. He was the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
Representative to the International Science Exhibition in Rangoon Burma in 1970. He was also a
Fulbright Fellow
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...
to
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
in 1971 and to
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
in 1975.
Published works
Rigden was the author of ''Physics and the Sound of Music'' (John Wiley, 1977), ''Rabi: Scientist and Citizen'' (Basic Books, 1988), ''Einstein 1905: The Standard of Greatness'' (Harvard, 2005), and ''Hydrogen: The Essential Element'' (Harvard, 2002). He edited ''Most of the Good Stuff: Memories of
Richard Feynman
Richard Phillips Feynman (; May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988) was an American theoretical physicist, known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, the physics of the superfl ...
''
and several collections, including the ''Macmillan Encyclopedia of Physics'' and was Editor-in-Chief of the ''Macmillan Encyclopedia of Elementary Particle Physics''.
Notes and references
External links
Brookhaven National Laboratory: "John S. Rigden to Give a Talk at Brookhaven Lab on Albert Einstein's Revolutionary Discoveries in Physics, November 10," October 11, 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigden, John
Eastern Nazarene College alumni
Eastern Nazarene College faculty
Johns Hopkins University alumni
Harvard University alumni
Middlebury College faculty
University of Missouri–St. Louis people
Physicists from Missouri
Scientists from Missouri
Scientists from St. Louis
American male writers
Fellows of the American Physical Society