Conference Honors Albany's Great Gift to Science

Joseph Henry (1797-1878), an Albany native who became the leading American scientist between Benjamin Franklin and Willard Gibbs, will be remembered with a program of internationally known scientists and speakers when the University's Department of Physics and the University's chapter of Sigma Xi host a conference celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth on Dec. 2.

Joseph Henry became a giant in the field of electromagneticism when he discovered the phenomenon of self-inductance; the unit of inductance, called "the henry,'" immortalizes his name. He is also remembered as the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, where he made extraordinary contributions to the organization and development of American science.

"He was also a very distinguished educator and administrator," said Harold Story of the Department of Physics, which is housed in the campus building named after Henry. "He was educated in Galway and then went to Albany Academy, where he was on the faculty for 17 years, before moving onto the faculty of Princeton University in the department which was then known as `natural philosophy.'

"Through his teachings and experiments he a laid a lot of the foundations down for the field of electromagnetism. Much of his work led to the discoveries of Samuel Morse and the telegraph. He made some remarkable discoveries in astronomy, such as the fact that sun spots were cooler than the sun. He also linked use of the telegraph to weather observations across the globe, enabling the first wide-ranging weather maps to be made, and he persuaded Congress to establish the National Weather Service."

Eventually president of the National Academy of Science, Henry's other great contribution was his organization of the then-new Smithsonian Institution. "James Smithson was a noted and wealthy British chemist and mineralologist and he had grown very disenchanted with the Royal Society in England," said Jack Smith, retired Distinguished Professor of Physics and committee chair of the Joseph Henry Bicentennial Conference Committee.

"So he turned to America to endow a new scientific institution." Having received Smithson's large bequest for the founding of an institution "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men,'' the U.S. Congress established the Smithsonian Institution. A distinguished board was appointed, with instructions to find the best possible man to head the new Institution as secretary, and the invitation was soon extended to Henry.

"And of course the Smithsonian became the first great driving force in the organization and direction of American science," said Smith.

In Washington Henry's statue stands before the old Smithsonian Building. Fittingly, one of the participants in the conference will be the Smithsonian's Marc Rothenberg, who will speak on "A Knowledge of General Principles: Joseph Henry and General Science Education in Nineteenth-Century America." (Britain's Royal Institution will also be represented, by Frank A.J.L. James, who will speak on "Joseph Henry and Michael Faraday: Connections and Comparisons.")

Much of the University's connection to Henry, aside from it currently being the home (in the Center for Environmental Science and Technology Management) of the National Weather Service, came from the late Distinguished Professor of Physics C. Luther Andrews, who, as an undergraduate at Cornell University - before beginning a four- decades career at the University - wrote about Henry's huge contributions to science. In 1968, he was the major influence in having the physics building dedicated the Joseph Henry Physics Building, on Oct. 4 of that year.

Sigma Xi and the Eastern New York Section of the American Chemical Society, which is a co-sponsor of the event, will be holding a dinner and joint session as part of the conference. The public is invited to all these events. There is no charge for any except for the Sigma Xi - ACS dinner. The conference will be held in the Performing Arts Center and the Campus Center Patroon Room at the Uptown Campus.

In addition to the University event, a Joseph Henry Exhibition is being held at Union College from Nov. 6 to Jan. 18, 1998. Albany Academy will hold a Joseph Henry program at the Joseph Henry Memorial Building (originally the Albany Academy building) on Henry's actual birthday, Dec. 17.

IFW Earns University "Progress in Equity" Award

The New York State division of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) has awarded the University its 1998 Progress in Equity Award for the success of its Initiatives for Women (IFW) program.

The award recognizes a New York college or university for an outstanding program, policy, or other initiative that improves the status of women on campus.

Jeanette Knapp, director of college and university membership for AAUW's New York chapter, notified Gloria DeSole, senior advisor to the President for affirmative action and chair of IFW's steering committee, that "Your program was awarded the 1998 New York Progress in Equity Award because of its volunteer and philanthropic nature and widespread impact on women students, faculty and staff.

"We were particularly impressed with the amount of money that has been raised and dispersed, the thoughtful supportive way in which these awards are made, and the impressive institutional support for the program," Knapp said. "AAUW commends you for directing a program that is both innovative and exemplary, that addresses the needs of diverse groups of women, and that involves the entire campus community.

"We hope that other institutions will follow your lead by establishing similar programs."

Knapp also said she will nominate Albany's IFW for AAUW's national Progress in Equity Award, to be named next spring.

DeSole said she received the letter informing her of Albany's top prize (there was only an additional honorable mention prize given, to Hunter College) the morning after IFW's fourth annual awards dinner, which featured a talk by Alison Bernstein, the vice president for education, media, arts, and cultural programs of the Ford Foundation.

In addition, the dinner featured the awarding of 21 monetary prizes for 1997 to women. Included were five "named" awards, a number that will double in the next round of award judging, which begins next week. The total number of competitive awards over four years has now risen to 75, and total money raised for the awards program has now topped the $100,000 mark - all numbers the AAUW was unaware of when it judged programs for its award last spring. DeSole is confident that IFW will give out its 100th award to women in 1998.

"You can imagine my great pleasure, after the wonderful event we had just had the night before, upon receiving this notification," said DeSole. "An award such as this from the New York State AAUW is critical external validation from an organization that is widely recognized as a national force for women.

"It was also a special pleasure at our dinner to hear Alison Bernstein express pleasure and surprise at the extent of what IFW does and what it has accomplished."