Ruth Hege Howes (born 1944) is an American

nuclear physicist Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

, expert on nuclear weapons, and

historian of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Meso ...

, known for her books on women in physics.

Education and career

Howes has a doctorate in physics from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. She joined the faculty at

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...

in 1976, and became George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy there; she retired as professor emerita from Ball State in 2003, to become chair of physics at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

. She has also served as an

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

Congressional Fellow, as program director for undergraduate physics programs at the

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 I ...

, as president of 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 ...

for 2000–2001, and as chair of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

Forum on Education.

Books

With

Caroline Herzenberg Caroline Stuart Littlejohn Herzenberg (born March 25, 1932) is an American physicist. Biography Caroline Herzenberg was born Caroline Stuart Littlejohn to Caroline Dorothea Schulze and Charles Frederick Littlejohn on March 25, 1932, in East Orang ...

, Howes is the coauthor of ''Their Day in the Sun: Women of the Manhattan Project'' (Temple University Press, 1999) and of ''After the War: Women in Physics in the United States'' (Morgan Claypool Press, 2015) With Anthony Fainberg, she edited ''The Energy Sourcebook'' (American Institute of Physics, 1991). With Michael R. Stevenson, she edited ''Women and the Use of Military Force'' (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1993).

Recognition

In 1992, Howes was elected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society, after a nomination from the APS Forum on Physics and Society, "for her innovations in the verification of ballistic missile characteristics, which assisted in resolving problems negotiating parts of the Start Treaty, and for her analyses of energy policy and ballistic missile defenses".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howes, Ruth 1944 births Living people American physicists American women physicists American historians of science American women historians Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Marquette University faculty Ball State University faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society 21st-century American women Presidents of the American Association of Physics Teachers