More Quotes

"The highest respect we as teachers of physics can pay to Joseph Henry is to emulate methods that he exhibited at Albany and Princeton:
  1. To attend and participate in the professional meetings of our science,
  2. To read selected journals in physics,
  3. To follow a field of research,
  4. To draw our students and interested people of the community into our research program,
  5. To give care to the preparation of classroom demonstrations, including demonstrations of our own research,
  6. To gladly demonstrate our work to the community,
  7. To take such pride in our research that we feel justified in requesting community support,
  8. To be generous in recognizing the work of other investigators,
  9. To willingly accept offices and appointments in educational and scientific societies."

    Prof. C. L. Andrews, The Physics Teacher, January 1965

This quotation is also on a plaque outside the C. L. Andrews Seminar Room in the Joseph Henry Physics Building, University at Albany. The late C. Luther Andrews was a Distinguished Teaching Professor, and for many years, Chair of the Department of Physics. Joseph Henry was his leading scientific role model.


... and Notes

A Large Magnet Constructed by Joseph Henry

This large electromagnet was constructed by Henry early in 1831 for Benjamin Silliman, Sr. of Yale College. This example of his large electromagnets is now in the Smithsonian Institution.

Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution
William Sturgeon is usually credited with the invention of the electromagnet. He insulated the soft iron core, winding it with wire, but this severely limited the number of turns. Henry found effective ways of insulating the wire itself, making many more turns and more powerful magnets possible. Some of Henry's magnets could lift a ton.

Joseph Henry Bicentennial Conference