Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History
Sauer, Anne
Branco, Jessica
Bennett, John
Crowley, Zachary
2000
Howard Sample Prize Scholarship in Physics,
The Howard Sample Prize Scholarship in Physics is named in memory of Howard Sample, who was a professor in the Department of Physics at Tufts University. Professor Sample was known for his love of physics and for his generosity in assisting colleagues, graduate and undergraduate students, and for his kindness to all. The award is given annually to undergraduate students for outstanding performances in Physics 11 and Physics 12. | |
Howard Harshaw Sample was born in Dallas on September 20, 1938, and received bachelor's and doctoral degrees from the Iowa State University in Ames. After graduate school, he was a NATO postdoctoral fellow at the Clarendon Laboratory in Oxford. He was appointed assistant professor of Physics at Tufts University in 1967, and promoted to professor in 1981. He held many additional appointments such as on the Executive Committee of the Instrument and Measurement Sciences Group of the American Physical Society, visiting scientist at the Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory at M.I.T., and chairman of the GTE Laboratories Academic Advisory Council, directing their Undergraduate Research Projects program. He served on many university committees, including the Committee on Academic Awards, of which he was chairman from 1987 to 1990. | |
His research was on solids at cryogenic temperatures and in high magnetic fields. His colleagues appreciated his deft touch with instruments and hardware and his remarkable ability to spot and solve problems that always occur in complex experiments. Any group with which he worked came to depend on his constant good humor, especially during difficult moments. His publications are extensive. He was widely admired as a popular and enthusiastic teacher. Student evaluations included such statements as "he used an enthusiastic approach to physics," and "he was one of the best professors that I had at Tufts." | |
Professor Sample died suddenly on February 13, 1993. | |
Source: BTU[Arts and Sciences/Engineering]; 100H | |
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