R. Nelson Smith

Robert Nelson Smith (September 25, 1916 – December 23, 1983) was an American chemist who specialized in colloids. He taught at Pomona College in Claremont, California, from 1945 to 1982. He was chair of the college's chemistry department and was known for his practical jokes.

R. Nelson Smith
Born
Robert Nelson Smith

(1916-09-25)September 25, 1916
Long Beach, California, US
DiedDecember 23, 1983(1983-12-23) (aged 67)
Mount Baldy, California, US
NationalityAmerican
Alma materPomona College
Stanford University
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
Institutions
ThesisStudies on the photochemistry of ammonia and hydroxylamine. (1942)
Doctoral advisorPhilip Albert Leighton
Notable studentsM. Frederick Hawthorne[1]

Early life and education

Smith was born on September 25, 1916, in Long Beach, California, and he grew up in Long Beach and Fontana, California.[2] He attended Pomona College, graduating in 1938, and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honors society.[3] While as a student at Pomona, Smith authored two papers with his chemistry professor, Wesley G. Leighton. After leaving Pomona, Smith went to Stanford University to work under Leighton's brother Philip A. Leighton and was awarded an M.A. and Ph.D. in 1940 and 1942 respectively.[4][5]

Career

After receiving his PhD in 1942, Smith began teaching in the Chemistry Department at the Missouri School of Mines in Rolla.[6][7] While teaching at Missouri, Smith became a mentor to a brilliant 15-year old high student and future National Medal of Science winner named M. Frederick Hawthorne who would eventually follow him to Pomona.[1]

During World War II, Smith worked on the Manhattan Project at the Hanford Site in Richland, Washington.[4][6] During the 1951–1952 academic year, he did a Guggenheim Fellowship in England on surface chemistry.[4][8]

Smith joined the faculty at Pomona in 1945. His research focus was colloids.[9] In 1956, he was promoted to the rank of full professor,[4] and he later became the chair of the college's chemistry department.[10] During the 1958–1959 academic year, he did another fellowship in England sponsored by the American Chemical Society's Petroleum Research Fund.[6]

In 1958, he co-authored with colleague W. Conway Pierce the textbook General Chemistry Problems. He and Pierce published several later editions of the book under the title Solving General Chemistry Problems.[11]

Smith was an early adopter of computer technology, which he used in his courses.[12]

Pranks

Smith was well known for his humorous teaching style[9] and for fostering an active prank culture in his department.[13] His notable pranks included once releasing a flock of pigeons during a lecture by Pierce, playing bagpipe to accompany geologist Donald B. McIntyre's inaugural lecture, and replacing colleague Corwin Hansch's desk chair with a porcelain toilet.[13]

Recognition

In 1961, Smith was honored for his teaching by the Manufacturing Chemists' Association.[9] He received the 1982 Wig Distinguished Professor award for excellence in teaching from Pomona College.[14]

Retirement and death

Smith retired in 1982.[13] He died on December 23, 1983, in a mountaineering accident on Mount Baldy.[15][16][17]

References
  1. Ross, Gloria S. (February 1, 2013). "M. Frederick Hawthorne awarded national medal of science". St. Louis Public Radio.
  2. "Abstracts of Dissertations for the Degrees of Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Education, with the Titles of Theses Accepted for the Degrees of Engineer, Master of Arts and Master of Science, Volumes 17-18". Stanford University. 1942. p. 99. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  3. "Phi Beta Kappa Honors Fourteen". Los Angeles Times. April 23, 1938. p. 7. ProQuest 164831199.
  4. "Five P.C. Faculty Men Promoted to Professors". Pomona Progress-Bulletin. March 30, 1956. p. 24. Retrieved October 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Smith, Robert Nelson (1942). Studies on The Photochemistry Of Ammonia And Hydroxylamine (Ph.D. thesis). Stanford University. OCLC 654138232 – via ProQuest.
  6. "Professor Wins Award for Study in England". Pomona Progress-Bulletin. April 1, 1958. p. 18. Retrieved October 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Dr. Smith Talks at A.I.Ch.E. Meet". The Missouri Miner. Vol. 29, no. 14. October 31, 1942. p. 2.
  8. "R. Nelson Smith". John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  9. "Smith Named Outstanding College Chemistry Teacher". Pomona Progress-Bulletin. June 11, 1961. p. 20. Retrieved October 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Foreign Chemists Doing Research Projects". Pomona Progress-Bulletin. November 26, 1961. p. 18. Retrieved October 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Idoux, John P. (1981). "Solving general chemistry problems (Nelson Smith,R.; Pierce, Conway)". Journal of Chemical Education. 58 (8): A245. Bibcode:1981JChEd..58A.245I. doi:10.1021/ed058pA245.1.
  12. "Pomona College Becomes First Educational 4331 User". Computerworld. March 10, 1980. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  13. Dolinar, Sarah (April 17, 2002). "The Prankster's Rules". Pomona College Magazine. Pomona College. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  14. "Wig Awards". Pomona College. March 30, 2015.
  15. "The Region". Los Angeles Times. December 26, 1983. p. 2. ProQuest 153666089. Retrieved October 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. Hansch, Corwin; Smith, R. Nelson (June 1984). "Research and Its Support in the Undergraduate Chemistry Department". Journal of Chemical Education. 61 (6): 517–519. Bibcode:1984JChEd..61..517H. doi:10.1021/ed061p517.
  17. Pattison, Dan (2010). "A Daring Mind" (PDF). Pomona College Magazine. Vol. 47, no. 1. Pomona College. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
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