Herbert W. Jones

Last updated
Herbert Whittier Jones
Born31 January 1927
Chicago, Illinois
Died2 October 2002
Alma mater University of Illinois
University of Michigan
Scientific career
Institutions Florida A&M University
Thesis [ ProQuest   301845396 A Method of Obtaining and Analyzing Time-Resolved Intensity Patterns of the Radiation from Various Regions of a Vacuum Spark Discharge] (1960)
Doctoral advisor W. Wallace McCormick
Other academic advisors Charles L. Dolph
Ralph A. Sawyer
Marcellus Lee Wiedenbeck
Ralph A. Wolfe

Herbert Whittier Jones (31 January 1927 - 2 October 2002) was an American physicist and longtime professor at Florida A&M University. He was known for his research in developing methods for the evaluation of overlap and Coulomb integrals over Slater-type orbitals (STOs) for molecular calculations. [1] He is credited as a founder of the FAMU physics department. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Jones was born in 1927 in Chicago, Illinois, to John and Ada V. Jones. [3] He served in the Navy during World War II. [4]

He received his bachelor's degree in 1949 from the University of Illinois, and graduated with honors in the Physical Sciences. [5] He then completed his graduate studies at the University of Michigan, graduating with a master's degree in physics in 1950 [6] and a PhD in physics in 1959. His thesis was titled "A Method of Obtaining and Analyzing Time-Resolved Intensity Patterns of the Radiation from Various Regions of a Vacuum Spark Discharge." [7] His doctoral committee included W. Wallace McCormick, Charles L. Dolph, Ralph A. Sawyer, Marcellus Lee Wiedenbeck, and Ralph A. Wolfe. [8]

At the University of Michigan, he was a member of the Sigma Xi honor society, [9] Phi Beta Kappa, and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. [3]

Career

Jones was a professor of physics at Florida A&M University for 43 years, and served as chair of the physics department for 12 years. [1] In 1976, he was also the head of the university's Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. [10]

During his time at FAMU, Jones led the Molecular Physics Project along with Charles Weatherford and Babu L. Jain. The project was supported by multiple NASA grants. [11] From August 3-6, 1981, Jones and Weatherford hosted the first International Conference on ETO Multicenter Molecular Integrals in Tallahassee, Florida. The conference was sponsored by Florida A&M University's Institute for Molecular Computations and physics department, and involved 34 scientists from eight different countries. The proceedings were compiled into a 1981 book, "ETO Multicenter Molecular Integrals." [12] [13]

In 1982, Jones spent a sabbatical period with the Quantum Theory Group at the University of Uppsala in Uppsala, Sweden. [14]

Research

Jones "contributed greatly to the solution of the STO integral problem." He based his work on the Löwdin alpha functions, and with Charles Weatherford, made considerable progress in the development of the so-called C-matrix with all integer elements. His later research involved building a detector for magnetic monopoles. [1]

Between 1976 and 1995, with a grant from the U.S. Air Force, Jones developed a computer program in Fortran language to implement Slater-type orbital calculations digitally. [15]

Publications

Awards and legacy

In 2000, Jones was awarded the National Millennium Award for Research by the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges. Ronald E. Mickens was Jones' fellow honoree for this award. [16]

The Herbert W. Jones Endowed Scholarships at Florida A&M University are named for Jones and are awarded to undergraduate students in the college of science and technology. [17] In 2002, FAMU began hosting the annual Herbert W. Jones Memorial Seminar. [2]

Personal life

Jones was married to Gladys Hurt Jones, who he met at the University of Michigan. They had one daughter. [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Hoggan, Philip E.; Weatherford, Charles A. (2004). "In memory of Herbert W. Jones (1927-2002)". International Journal of Quantum Chemistry. 100 (2): 67–68. doi: 10.1002/qua.20106 .
  2. 1 2 "FAMU to host Jones memorial seminar". Tallahassee Democrat . 17 April 2009. p. 5.
  3. 1 2 3 "Herbert Jones Obituary (2002) - Tallahassee, FL - Tallahassee Democrat". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  4. ↑ Roberson, Stephen (16 February 2023). "Florida A&M University Department of Physics". National Society of Black Physicists. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  5. ↑ University of Illinois (12 June 1949). "University of Illinois Commencement Program" (PDF). Archive.org. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  6. ↑ Michigan, University of (1948). Commencement Programs.
  7. ↑ Regents, University of Michigan Board of (1957). Regents' Proceedings. The University.
  8. ↑ Jones, Herbert Whittier (1960). A Method Of Obtaining And Analyzing Time-resolved Intensity Patterns Of The Radiation From Various Regions Of A Vacuum Spark Discharge (Thesis). Bibcode:1960PhDT.........8J. OCLC   77216189. ProQuest   301845396.
  9. ↑ "To Outstanding 'U' Students for Scholarship, Citizenship". The Michigan Daily. Vol. 69, no. 156. 8 May 1959.
  10. ↑ "Minorities are gaining in sciences, FAMU hears". Tallahassee Democrat . 11 April 1976. pp. 2C.
  11. ↑ "Career day set at TCC". Tallahassee Democrat . 2 December 1979. pp. 12C.
  12. ↑ Weatherford, Charles A.; Jones, Herbert W., eds. (1982). ETO Multicenter Molecular Integrals. doi:10.1007/978-94-009-7921-5. ISBN   978-94-009-7923-9.[ page needed ]
  13. ↑ "This weekend's radio highlights". Tallahassee Democrat . 7 January 1983. pp. 9B.
  14. ↑ "Achievements". Tallahassee Democrat . 28 February 1982. pp. 3G.
  15. ↑ FAMU Office of Public Affairs (9 August 1995). "Physics professor on the math track". Tallahassee Democrat . pp. 5C.
  16. ↑ "White House Initiative Honors Science Faculty With Millennium Awards". Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. 2000-10-11. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  17. ↑ "Herbert W. Jones Endowed Scholarships - Florida A&M University Scholarships". famu.academicworks.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
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