Elmer Imes
Encyclopedia
Elmer Samuel Imes born in Memphis, Tennessee, was the second
African-American to earn a Ph. D. in Physics
and among the first African American scientists to make important contributions to Modern physics
.
. Imes attended grammar school in Oberlin, Ohio and completed his high school education at the Agricultural and Mechanical High School in Norman, Alabama. Imes graduated from Fisk University
in 1903 with a degree in science.
Around 1919, imes became married to Harlem Renaissance
writer, Nella Larsen
. The couple lived in Harlem becoming part of the Harlem intellectual society which included intellectuals such as Langston Hughes
and W.E.B. Du Bois
. This work was followed by a paper co-authored and presented jointly with Harrison McAllister Randall The Fine Structure of the Near Infra-Red Absorption Bands of HCI,HBr, and HF at the American Physical Society
and published in the Physical Review
in 1920. His work demonstrated for the first time that Quantum Theory
could be applied to radiation in all regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, to the rotational energy states of molecules as well as the vibration and electronic levels. His work provided an early verification of Quantum Theory
.
It was one of the earliest applications of high resolution infrared spectroscopy
and provided the first detailed spectra of molecules giving way to the study molecular structure
through infrared spectroscopy
.
and physics at Georgia Normal and Agricultural Institute in Albany, Georgia (presently Albany State University
) and the Emerson Institute in Mobile, Alabama. Imes returned to Fisk in 1913 as an instructor of science
and mathematics
. During his tenure there, Imes earned a Master’s degree in science from Fisk University.
In 1918, Imes earned a Ph. D. in Physics at the University of Michigan
where he studied under Harrison McAllister Randall becoming the second African American to receive a Ph. D. in Physics
since Edward Bouchet
, did so from Yale University
in 1876.
In the early 1920s, Imes found difficulty in securing employment in academia. As a result, he became a physics consultant and researcher in physics at the Federal Engineers Development Corporation, in 1922 and with the Burrows Magnetic Equipment Corporation in 1924. In 1927, Imes went to work as a research
engineer
at E.A. Everett Signal Supplies.
During the period Imes spent in the scientific and materials industry, his work resulted in four patents for instruments which were used for measuring magnetic and electric properties.
In 1930, Imes returned to Fisk University
where he served as Chair of the Physics Department. Imes is credited with the academic development of the physics programs at Fisk from which many of his students went on to obtain doctoral degrees from schools such as the University of Michigan
. While at Fisk, Imes developed a course in Cultural Physics.
In 1931, Imes was named one of the thirteen most Gifted Black Americans.
In 1939, he conducted research in magnetic materials at the Physics Department at New York University
and continued as chair of the physics department at Fisk until his death in 1941.
National Honor Society
;
The American Physical Society;
The American Society for Testing Materials;
The American Institute of Electrical Engineers
;
The Elmer S. Imes Scholarship, the National Society of Black Physicists
, est. 2006.
Second
The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....
African-American to earn a Ph. D. in Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and among the first African American scientists to make important contributions to Modern physics
Modern physics
The term modern physics refers to the post-Newtonian conception of physics. The term implies that classical descriptions of phenomena are lacking, and that an accurate, "modern", description of reality requires theories to incorporate elements of quantum mechanics or Einsteinian relativity, or both...
.
Early life
Imes was born to Elizabeth Wallace and Benjamin A. Imes both of which were college educated; his father a graduate of Oberlin CollegeOberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
. Imes attended grammar school in Oberlin, Ohio and completed his high school education at the Agricultural and Mechanical High School in Norman, Alabama. Imes graduated from Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
in 1903 with a degree in science.
Around 1919, imes became married to Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
writer, Nella Larsen
Nella Larsen
Nellallitea 'Nella' Larsen Nellallitea 'Nella' Larsen Nellallitea 'Nella' Larsen (born Nellie Walker (April 13, 1891 – March 30, 1964), was an American novelist of the Harlem Renaissance. She published two novels and a few short stories. Though her literary output was scant, what she wrote earned...
. The couple lived in Harlem becoming part of the Harlem intellectual society which included intellectuals such as Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
and W.E.B. Du Bois
W.E.B. Du Bois
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author, and editor. Born in Massachusetts, Du Bois attended Harvard, where he was the first African American to earn a doctorate...
Internationally renowned physicist
Imes’ research and doctoral thesis led to the publication of Measurements on the Near-Infrared Absorption of Some Diamotic Gases in November 1919 in the Astrophysical JournalAstrophysical Journal
The Astrophysical Journal is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering astronomy and astrophysics. It was founded in 1895 by the American astronomers George Ellery Hale and James Edward Keeler. It publishes three 500-page issues per month....
. This work was followed by a paper co-authored and presented jointly with Harrison McAllister Randall The Fine Structure of the Near Infra-Red Absorption Bands of HCI,HBr, and HF at the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
and published in the Physical Review
Physical Review
Physical Review is an American scientific journal founded in 1893 by Edward Nichols. It publishes original research and scientific and literature reviews on all aspects of physics. It is published by the American Physical Society. The journal is in its third series, and is split in several...
in 1920. His work demonstrated for the first time that Quantum Theory
Quantum theory
Quantum theory may mean:In science:*Quantum mechanics: a subset of quantum physics explaining the physical behaviours at atomic and sub-atomic levels*Old quantum theory under the Bohr model...
could be applied to radiation in all regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, to the rotational energy states of molecules as well as the vibration and electronic levels. His work provided an early verification of Quantum Theory
Quantum theory
Quantum theory may mean:In science:*Quantum mechanics: a subset of quantum physics explaining the physical behaviours at atomic and sub-atomic levels*Old quantum theory under the Bohr model...
.
It was one of the earliest applications of high resolution infrared spectroscopy
Infrared spectroscopy
Infrared spectroscopy is the spectroscopy that deals with the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, that is light with a longer wavelength and lower frequency than visible light. It covers a range of techniques, mostly based on absorption spectroscopy. As with all spectroscopic...
and provided the first detailed spectra of molecules giving way to the study molecular structure
Molecular structure
The molecular structure of a substance is described by the combination of nuclei and electrons that comprise its constitute molecules. This includes the molecular geometry , the electronic properties of the...
through infrared spectroscopy
Infrared spectroscopy
Infrared spectroscopy is the spectroscopy that deals with the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, that is light with a longer wavelength and lower frequency than visible light. It covers a range of techniques, mostly based on absorption spectroscopy. As with all spectroscopic...
.
Professional life
Upon graduating from Fisk, Imes taught mathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and physics at Georgia Normal and Agricultural Institute in Albany, Georgia (presently Albany State University
Albany State University
Albany State University is a four-year, state-supported, historically black university located in Albany, Georgia, United States. It is one of three HBCU's in the University System of Georgia.-History:-Establishment:...
) and the Emerson Institute in Mobile, Alabama. Imes returned to Fisk in 1913 as an instructor of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. During his tenure there, Imes earned a Master’s degree in science from Fisk University.
In 1918, Imes earned a Ph. D. in Physics at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where he studied under Harrison McAllister Randall becoming the second African American to receive a Ph. D. in Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
since Edward Bouchet
Edward Bouchet
Edward Bouchet was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. from an American university and the first African-American to graduate from Yale University in 1874. He completed his dissertation in Yale's Ph.D. program in 1876 becoming the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. . His area of...
, did so from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1876.
In the early 1920s, Imes found difficulty in securing employment in academia. As a result, he became a physics consultant and researcher in physics at the Federal Engineers Development Corporation, in 1922 and with the Burrows Magnetic Equipment Corporation in 1924. In 1927, Imes went to work as a research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
at E.A. Everett Signal Supplies.
During the period Imes spent in the scientific and materials industry, his work resulted in four patents for instruments which were used for measuring magnetic and electric properties.
In 1930, Imes returned to Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
where he served as Chair of the Physics Department. Imes is credited with the academic development of the physics programs at Fisk from which many of his students went on to obtain doctoral degrees from schools such as the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. While at Fisk, Imes developed a course in Cultural Physics.
In 1931, Imes was named one of the thirteen most Gifted Black Americans.
In 1939, he conducted research in magnetic materials at the Physics Department at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and continued as chair of the physics department at Fisk until his death in 1941.
Memberships & honors
Sigma XiSigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
;
The American Physical Society;
The American Society for Testing Materials;
The American Institute of Electrical Engineers
American Institute of Electrical Engineers
The American Institute of Electrical Engineers was a United States based organization of electrical engineers that existed between 1884 and 1963, when it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers .- History :The 1884 founders of the...
;
The Elmer S. Imes Scholarship, the National Society of Black Physicists
National Society of Black Physicists
The National Society of Black Physicists was established in 1977 to promote the professional well-being of African Diaspora physicists and physics students within the international scientific community and the world community at large.-Brief history:...
, est. 2006.