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A. B. Arons papers, 1946-2001

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Arons, A. B. (Arnold B.)
Title
A. B. Arons papers
Dates
1946-2001 (inclusive)
Quantity
1.84 cubic feet (3 boxes)
Collection Number
5380 (Accession No. 5380-001)
Summary
Former University of Washington Professor of Physics
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Presume open to all users, but access to portions of the papers restricted. Contact repository for details.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Arnold Boris Arons was born on November 23, 1916 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He received his M.E. degree in 1937 and his M.S. degree in 1940, both in physical chemistry from the Stevens Institute of Technology. In 1943, he earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Harvard University. Arons began working at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) in 1942 as a graduate student of E. Bright Wilson and joined the staff in 1943 full-time in the Underwater Explosives Research Laboratory, where he worked under Robert Cole as a leader of the group that made shock wave measurements on the first atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946.

Arons left WHOI to accept a position as assistant professor of Physics at Stevens Institute of Technology in 1946, were he continued to conduct research on aspects of explosion phenomena and shock wave propagation until 1952. At this time, he was named a professor of Physics at Amherst College and turned his research attention from the reflection of acoustic pulses to physical oceanography and meteorology, in particular the study of abyssal oceanic circulation and cloud physics. Arons continued to work at WHOI as a non-resident staff member until 1968, when he was named professor of Physics at the University of Washington. He continued his relationship with WHOI through his service as a trustee and corporator for the remainder of his life.

Arons taught at the University of Washington from 1968 until his retirement in 1982, where he founded the Physics Education Group, a program that prepares teachers for physics instruction at high school and introductory college levels, published a number of articles, and received the UW Distinguished Teaching Award in 1973. The previous year he was awarded the Oersted Medal by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) in recognition of his contributions to the teaching of physics and physics education research. Arons also served as president of AAPT and was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering in 1982 from Stevens Institute of Technology. After his retirement in 1982, Arons continued to teach through workshops in the Seattle area and published several workbooks and textbooks concerned with teaching introductory physics. Arnold Arons died on February 28, 2001.

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Content Description

Subject series, videocassette, slides, photographs.

Primarily correspondence related to Arons' involvement in national committees, invitations to campus and conference lectures and workshops, and letters to professors and publishers. Also includes publications, conference papers, newsletters, clippings, a grant proposal, lecture notes, biographical features, college directories, conference files, agendas, and photographs related to Aron's involvement in physics education research and instruction and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Also includes a videocassette of a colloquium offered by Arons at Ohio State University in 1988 and slides related to a discussion on rotating tanks

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Other Descriptive Information

  • AAPT: American Association of Physics Teachers
  • AGU: American Geophysical Union
  • AJP: American Journal of Physics
  • APS: American Physical Society
  • SUNY: State University of New York
  • TPT: The Physics Teacher

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Received February 21, 2003.

Processing Note

Unprocessed.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • College teachers--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • Oceanography
  • Physicists--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • Physics
  • Physics--Study and teaching
  • Teachers--Training of--United States
  • University Archives/Faculty Papers (University of Washington)

Personal Names

  • Arons, A. B. (Arnold B.)--Archives

Corporate Names

  • American Association of Physics Teachers
  • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution


2008 (Last modified: 4/2/2020)

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