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Elmer Imes

January 01, 1970

Elmer Samuel Imes (October 12, 1883 – September 11, 1941) was an internationally renowned American physicist who made important contributions in quantum, demonstrating for the first time that Quantum Theory could be applied to the rotational energy states of molecules, as well as the vibration and electronic levels, Imes' work provided an early verification of Quantum Theory,[1][2] and his spectroscopy instrumentation inventions, which include one of the earliest applications of high resolution infrared spectroscopy led to development of the field of study of molecular structure through infrared spectroscopy;[1][2][3] he was also the second African American to earn a Ph.D. in physics and the first in the 20th century. He was among the first known African-American scientists to make important contributions to modern physics, others' prior work unrecorded or uncredited. While working in industry, he gained four patents for instruments to be used for measuring magnetic and electric properties. As an academic, he developed and chaired the department of physics at Fisk University, serving from 1930 to 1941.

Elmer Imes
Born
Elmer Samuel Imes

12 October 1883
Memphis, Tennessee
Died11 September 1941
NationalityAmerican
Alma materFisk University
University of Michigan
New York University
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1919; div. 1933)​
Scientific career
InstitutionsGeorgia Normal and Agricultural Institute
Fisk University

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he was the child of college-educated parents. His father's family were people of color who had been free since before the American Revolution. His mother's family, former slaves, had moved to Oberlin, Ohio, after the American Civil War. Both his parents graduated from Oberlin College.

Early life and education edit

Elmer S. Imes was born in 1883 in Memphis, Tennessee to Elizabeth (née Wallace) and Benjamin A. Imes, both of whom were college educated and had met at Oberlin College in Ohio. They married there in 1880.[2] His father earned a divinity degree at Oberlin Theological Seminary in 1880. Benjamin was descended from free people of color, who had been established in south-central Pennsylvania by the time of the Revolution. His mother Elizabeth was born into slavery; her family had moved to Oberlin when she was a child, after the American Civil War and emancipation. Imes had two younger brothers: Albert Lovejoy Imes and William Lloyd Imes. The latter became a minister and was later pastor of St. James Presbyterian Church in New York City; he held degrees from Fisk, Union Theological Seminary, and Columbia University.[4]

Imes and his brothers attended grammar school in Oberlin, Ohio. Their parents became missionaries with the American Missionary Association and moved to the South to serve freedmen and their children. Imes completed his high school education at the Agricultural and Mechanical High School in Normal, Alabama. He graduated in 1903 from Fisk University, a historically black college, with a bachelor's degree in science.[4]

Upon graduating from Fisk, Imes taught mathematics and physics at Georgia Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Albany State University), a historically black college in Albany, Georgia, and the Emerson Institute. The latter had been founded in Mobile, Alabama by the American Missionary Association. Imes returned to Fisk in 1913 as an instructor of science and mathematics. During his tenure there, Imes also earned a master's degree in science from Fisk University.

He went to the University of Michigan for additional study in physics, earning a Ph.D. in physics in 1918. He studied under Harrison McAllister Randall. His work as a graduate student to measure the rotational-vibrational spectra of diatomic molecules gained recognition from the scientific community.[5] Imes was the second African American to receive a Ph.D. in physics since Edward Bouchet did so from Yale University in 1876; Imes was the first African American in the 20th century to gain this degree.[1]

On May 3, 1919, after moving to New York to work in industry, Imes married Nella Larsen, a nurse who became a writer. An American of Danish and Afro-Caribbean descent, she is considered part of the Harlem Renaissance, having published short stories and two novels in the late 1920s. The couple had moved from Jersey City, New Jersey, to Harlem, where they became part of the professional and cultural society that included artists and intellectuals such as Langston Hughes and W.E.B. Du Bois, members of the black elite.[1]

Due to strains in their marriage and his infidelity, they divorced in 1933. Imes had returned to Fisk University in 1929 for an academic career, developing and leading its physics department.

Internationally renowned physicist edit

Imes’ research and doctoral thesis led to his publication of Measurements on the Near-Infrared Absorption of Some Diatomic Gases in November 1919 in the Astrophysical Journal.[6] This work was followed by a paper co-authored and presented in November 1919 jointly with Harrison M. Randall, "The Fine Structure of the Near Infra-Red Absorption Bands of HCI, HBr, and HF" at the American Physical Society; it was published in the Physical Review in February 1920.[4][7] This work demonstrated for the first time that Quantum Theory could be applied to the rotational energy states of molecules, as well as the vibration and electronic levels. Imes' work provided an early verification of Quantum Theory.[1][2] [3] It became known in Europe as well as in the United States.[2]

Imes' work was one of the earliest applications of high resolution infrared spectroscopy and provided the first detailed spectra of molecules. This led to development of the field of study of molecular structure through infrared spectroscopy.[1][2][3]

Professional life edit

In the early 1920s, Imes found difficulty in securing employment in academia. Not many black colleges had physics programs and white colleges did not hire him. During this time, he moved to New York City, a social hub for black intellectuals.[5] As a result, he became a physics consultant and researcher after completing his doctorate; he worked in physics at the Federal Engineers Development Corporation in 1918[2] and with the Burrows Magnetic Equipment Corporation in 1922. In 1927, Imes went to work as a research engineer at E.A. Everett Signal Supplies.[1][3] During the decade that Imes worked in the scientific and materials industry, his research resulted in four patents for instruments that were used for measuring magnetic and electric properties.[1]

In 1930, Imes returned to Fisk University, where he served as chair of the physics department. Imes is credited with the academic development of the physics programs at Fisk. Many of his students went on to obtain doctoral degrees from highly ranked schools such as the University of Michigan. While at Fisk, Imes developed a course in cultural physics, to teach students about the history of science. In 1931, Imes was named one of the thirteen most gifted Black Americans.[4]

In 1939, Imes returned to New York, where he conducted research as a scholar in magnetic materials at the physics department at New York University. He died in 1941.

Memberships and honors edit

Sigma Xi National Honor Society; The American Physical Society; The American Society for Testing Materials; and The American Institute of Electrical Engineers.

Death edit

Imes died of throat cancer on September 11, 1941. His colleague Swann wrote in an obituary for the journal Science that, "his research laboratory was a mecca for those who sought an atmosphere of calm and contentment. Peacefully smoking a pipe, Imes could always be relied upon to bring to any discussion an atmosphere of philosophic soundness and levelheaded practicalness. Gifted, moreover with a poetic disposition, he was widely read in literature, and a discriminating and ardent appreciator of music."[8]

Notable publications edit

Imes, Elmer S. "Measurements on the Near Infra-Red Absorption of Some Diatomic Gases." Astrophysical Journal, vol. 50, 1919, 251 - 276. doi:10.1086/142504.

Patents edit

Method Of Testing Magnetizable Objects. US 1686815 A, Oct. 9, 1928.[9]

Apparatus For Testing Magnetizable Objects. US 1800676 A, April 14, 1931.[10]

Electrical Resistance Composition. US 1818184 A, Aug. 11, 1931.[11]

Method Of And Apparatus For Testing Magnetizable Objects. US 1807411 A, May 26, 1931.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h This Month in Physics History - "November 1919: Elmer Imes Publishes Work on Infrared Spectroscopy", APS News (American Physics Society), November 2008 (Volume 17, Number 10). Retrieved on 2010-06-22
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Ronald E. Mickens, "Bouchet and Imes: First Black Physicists", The African American Presence in Physics, Ronald E. Mickens, editor. Atlanta, Georgia: 1999, pp. 24-27
  3. ^ a b c d Dr. Scott Williams, "Physicists of the African Diaspora: Elmer Samuel Imes", hosted at University of Buffalo, Retrieved on 2010-06-10.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Biography: Elmer Samuel Imes", Answers.com. Retrieved on 2010-06-10.
  5. ^ a b Mickens, Ronald E. (2018). "The life and work of Elmer Samuel Imes". Physics Today. 71 (10): 28–35. Bibcode:2018PhT....71j..28M. doi:10.1063/pt.3.4042. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  6. ^ Elmer S. Imes, "Measurements on the Near-Infrared Absorption of Some Diatomic Gases", Astrophysical Journal, November 1919, vol. 50, p.251ff
  7. ^ H.M. Randall and E.S. Imes, "The Fine Structure of the Near Infra-Red Absorption Bands of HCI, HBr, and HF", Phys. Rev. 15, pp. 152-155, Feb. 1920; in Science Abstracts, Institution of Electrical Engineers., 1920, pp.342-343
  8. ^ Swann, W.F.G. (1941). "Obituary". Science. 94 (2452): 600–6001. doi:10.1126/science.94.2452.600. PMID 17740047.
  9. ^ Imes, Elmer. Method of testing magnetizable objects. US 1686815 A, United States Patent and Trademark Office, 09 October 1928. https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/.
  10. ^ Burrows, Charles W. and Elmer S. Imes. Apparatus for testing magnetizable objects. US 1800676 A, United States Patent and Trademark Office, 14 April 1931.https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/
  11. ^ Work, Lincoln T., Elmer S. Imes, Edward A. Everett. Electrical resistance composition. US 1818184 A, United States Patent and Trademark Office, 31 August 1931. https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/
  12. ^ Imes, Elmer S. Method of and apparatus for testing magnetizable objects, United States Patent and Trademark Office, US 1807411 A, May 26, 1931. https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/

Further reading edit

  • Davenport, James C. (1 February 1999). "The National Society of Black Physicists: Reflections on its Beginning". In Mickens, Ronald E. (ed.). The African American Presence in Physics. Atlanta, Georgia: Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library. pp. 6–12. doi:10.22595/caupubs.00010.
  • Gary D. Krentz, "Physics at Michigan: from Classical Physics to Nuclear Research: 1888 - 1938", LSA Magazine (University of Michigan) 12 (Fall 1988), pp. 10–16.
  • Julia B. Morgan, "Son of a Slave," Johns Hopkins Magazine, June 1981, pp. 20–26.
  • The Negro in Science, Julius Taylor, editor. Baltimore, MD: Morgan State College Press, 1955.
  • Willie Pearson, Jr., Black Scientists, White Society, and Colorless Science: A Study of Universalism in American Science, Millwood, NY: Associated Faculty Press, 1985

External links edit

  • Davis, R. M. "The work of Elmer Imes". symmetry magazine.
  • Portraits of Elmer Imes and photo of Imes in the laboratory, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, Emilio Segrè Visual Archives - photo copyright held by the Fisk University Special Collections and Archives

January 01, 1970
elmer, imes, elmer, samuel, imes, october, 1883, september, 1941, internationally, renowned, american, physicist, made, important, contributions, quantum, demonstrating, first, time, that, quantum, theory, could, applied, rotational, energy, states, molecules,. Elmer Samuel Imes October 12 1883 September 11 1941 was an internationally renowned American physicist who made important contributions in quantum demonstrating for the first time that Quantum Theory could be applied to the rotational energy states of molecules as well as the vibration and electronic levels Imes work provided an early verification of Quantum Theory 1 2 and his spectroscopy instrumentation inventions which include one of the earliest applications of high resolution infrared spectroscopy led to development of the field of study of molecular structure through infrared spectroscopy 1 2 3 he was also the second African American to earn a Ph D in physics and the first in the 20th century He was among the first known African American scientists to make important contributions to modern physics others prior work unrecorded or uncredited While working in industry he gained four patents for instruments to be used for measuring magnetic and electric properties As an academic he developed and chaired the department of physics at Fisk University serving from 1930 to 1941 Elmer ImesBornElmer Samuel Imes12 October 1883Memphis TennesseeDied11 September 1941NationalityAmericanAlma materFisk UniversityUniversity of MichiganNew York UniversitySpouseNella Larsen m 1919 div 1933 wbr Scientific careerInstitutionsGeorgia Normal and Agricultural InstituteFisk University Born in Memphis Tennessee he was the child of college educated parents His father s family were people of color who had been free since before the American Revolution His mother s family former slaves had moved to Oberlin Ohio after the American Civil War Both his parents graduated from Oberlin College Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Internationally renowned physicist 3 Professional life 4 Memberships and honors 5 Death 6 Notable publications 7 Patents 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksEarly life and education editElmer S Imes was born in 1883 in Memphis Tennessee to Elizabeth nee Wallace and Benjamin A Imes both of whom were college educated and had met at Oberlin College in Ohio They married there in 1880 2 His father earned a divinity degree at Oberlin Theological Seminary in 1880 Benjamin was descended from free people of color who had been established in south central Pennsylvania by the time of the Revolution His mother Elizabeth was born into slavery her family had moved to Oberlin when she was a child after the American Civil War and emancipation Imes had two younger brothers Albert Lovejoy Imes and William Lloyd Imes The latter became a minister and was later pastor of St James Presbyterian Church in New York City he held degrees from Fisk Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University 4 Imes and his brothers attended grammar school in Oberlin Ohio Their parents became missionaries with the American Missionary Association and moved to the South to serve freedmen and their children Imes completed his high school education at the Agricultural and Mechanical High School in Normal Alabama He graduated in 1903 from Fisk University a historically black college with a bachelor s degree in science 4 Upon graduating from Fisk Imes taught mathematics and physics at Georgia Normal and Agricultural Institute now Albany State University a historically black college in Albany Georgia and the Emerson Institute The latter had been founded in Mobile Alabama by the American Missionary Association Imes returned to Fisk in 1913 as an instructor of science and mathematics During his tenure there Imes also earned a master s degree in science from Fisk University He went to the University of Michigan for additional study in physics earning a Ph D in physics in 1918 He studied under Harrison McAllister Randall His work as a graduate student to measure the rotational vibrational spectra of diatomic molecules gained recognition from the scientific community 5 Imes was the second African American to receive a Ph D in physics since Edward Bouchet did so from Yale University in 1876 Imes was the first African American in the 20th century to gain this degree 1 On May 3 1919 after moving to New York to work in industry Imes married Nella Larsen a nurse who became a writer An American of Danish and Afro Caribbean descent she is considered part of the Harlem Renaissance having published short stories and two novels in the late 1920s The couple had moved from Jersey City New Jersey to Harlem where they became part of the professional and cultural society that included artists and intellectuals such as Langston Hughes and W E B Du Bois members of the black elite 1 Due to strains in their marriage and his infidelity they divorced in 1933 Imes had returned to Fisk University in 1929 for an academic career developing and leading its physics department Internationally renowned physicist editImes research and doctoral thesis led to his publication of Measurements on the Near Infrared Absorption of Some Diatomic Gases in November 1919 in the Astrophysical Journal 6 This work was followed by a paper co authored and presented in November 1919 jointly with Harrison M Randall The Fine Structure of the Near Infra Red Absorption Bands of HCI HBr and HF at the American Physical Society it was published in the Physical Review in February 1920 4 7 This work demonstrated for the first time that Quantum Theory could be applied to the rotational energy states of molecules as well as the vibration and electronic levels Imes work provided an early verification of Quantum Theory 1 2 3 It became known in Europe as well as in the United States 2 Imes work was one of the earliest applications of high resolution infrared spectroscopy and provided the first detailed spectra of molecules This led to development of the field of study of molecular structure through infrared spectroscopy 1 2 3 Professional life editIn the early 1920s Imes found difficulty in securing employment in academia Not many black colleges had physics programs and white colleges did not hire him During this time he moved to New York City a social hub for black intellectuals 5 As a result he became a physics consultant and researcher after completing his doctorate he worked in physics at the Federal Engineers Development Corporation in 1918 2 and with the Burrows Magnetic Equipment Corporation in 1922 In 1927 Imes went to work as a research engineer at E A Everett Signal Supplies 1 3 During the decade that Imes worked in the scientific and materials industry his research resulted in four patents for instruments that were used for measuring magnetic and electric properties 1 In 1930 Imes returned to Fisk University where he served as chair of the physics department Imes is credited with the academic development of the physics programs at Fisk Many of his students went on to obtain doctoral degrees from highly ranked schools such as the University of Michigan While at Fisk Imes developed a course in cultural physics to teach students about the history of science In 1931 Imes was named one of the thirteen most gifted Black Americans 4 In 1939 Imes returned to New York where he conducted research as a scholar in magnetic materials at the physics department at New York University He died in 1941 Memberships and honors editSigma Xi National Honor Society The American Physical Society The American Society for Testing Materials and The American Institute of Electrical Engineers 2006 the Elmer S Imes Scholarship was established in his name by the National Society of Black Physicists 4 Death editImes died of throat cancer on September 11 1941 His colleague Swann wrote in an obituary for the journal Science that his research laboratory was a mecca for those who sought an atmosphere of calm and contentment Peacefully smoking a pipe Imes could always be relied upon to bring to any discussion an atmosphere of philosophic soundness and levelheaded practicalness Gifted moreover with a poetic disposition he was widely read in literature and a discriminating and ardent appreciator of music 8 Notable publications editImes Elmer S Measurements on the Near Infra Red Absorption of Some Diatomic Gases Astrophysical Journal vol 50 1919 251 276 doi 10 1086 142504 Patents editMethod Of Testing Magnetizable Objects US 1686815 A Oct 9 1928 9 Apparatus For Testing Magnetizable Objects US 1800676 A April 14 1931 10 Electrical Resistance Composition US 1818184 A Aug 11 1931 11 Method Of And Apparatus For Testing Magnetizable Objects US 1807411 A May 26 1931 12 References edit nbsp Biography portal nbsp United States portal a b c d e f g h This Month in Physics History November 1919 Elmer Imes Publishes Work on Infrared Spectroscopy APS News American Physics Society November 2008 Volume 17 Number 10 Retrieved on 2010 06 22 a b c d e f g Ronald E Mickens Bouchet and Imes First Black Physicists The African American Presence in Physics Ronald E Mickens editor Atlanta Georgia 1999 pp 24 27 a b c d Dr Scott Williams Physicists of the African Diaspora Elmer Samuel Imes hosted at University of Buffalo Retrieved on 2010 06 10 a b c d e Biography Elmer Samuel Imes Answers com Retrieved on 2010 06 10 a b Mickens Ronald E 2018 The life and work of Elmer Samuel Imes Physics Today 71 10 28 35 Bibcode 2018PhT 71j 28M doi 10 1063 pt 3 4042 Retrieved 2023 06 08 Elmer S Imes Measurements on the Near Infrared Absorption of Some Diatomic Gases Astrophysical Journal November 1919 vol 50 p 251ff H M Randall and E S Imes The Fine Structure of the Near Infra Red Absorption Bands of HCI HBr and HF Phys Rev 15 pp 152 155 Feb 1920 in Science Abstracts Institution of Electrical Engineers 1920 pp 342 343 Swann W F G 1941 Obituary Science 94 2452 600 6001 doi 10 1126 science 94 2452 600 PMID 17740047 Imes Elmer Method of testing magnetizable objects US 1686815 A United States Patent and Trademark Office 09 October 1928 https ppubs uspto gov pubwebapp Burrows Charles W and Elmer S Imes Apparatus for testing magnetizable objects US 1800676 A United States Patent and Trademark Office 14 April 1931 https ppubs uspto gov pubwebapp Work Lincoln T Elmer S Imes Edward A Everett Electrical resistance composition US 1818184 A United States Patent and Trademark Office 31 August 1931 https ppubs uspto gov pubwebapp Imes Elmer S Method of and apparatus for testing magnetizable objects United States Patent and Trademark Office US 1807411 A May 26 1931 https ppubs uspto gov pubwebapp Further reading editDavenport James C 1 February 1999 The National Society of Black Physicists Reflections on its Beginning In Mickens Ronald E ed The African American Presence in Physics Atlanta Georgia Atlanta University Center Robert W Woodruff Library pp 6 12 doi 10 22595 caupubs 00010 Gary D Krentz Physics at Michigan from Classical Physics to Nuclear Research 1888 1938 LSA Magazine University of Michigan 12 Fall 1988 pp 10 16 Julia B Morgan Son of a Slave Johns Hopkins Magazine June 1981 pp 20 26 The Negro in Science Julius Taylor editor Baltimore MD Morgan State College Press 1955 Willie Pearson Jr Black Scientists White Society and Colorless Science A Study of Universalism in American Science Millwood NY Associated Faculty Press 1985External links editDavis R M The work of Elmer Imes symmetry magazine Portraits of Elmer Imes and photo of Imes in the laboratory American Institute of Physics Niels Bohr Library amp Archives Emilio Segre Visual Archives photo copyright held by the Fisk University Special Collections and Archives Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Elmer Imes amp oldid 1221569434, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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