Ruth Hege Howes

Howes was an American nuclear physicist, expert on nuclear weapons, and historian of science, known for her books on women in physics. Her rich career encompassed physics research, undergraduate physics education, administration, and national service. As co-author of several books that put a spotlight on the careers of female scientists, including those involved in the Manhattan Project, she considerably increased female scientists’ recognition.

Howes received her B.A. in physics from Mt. Holyoke College and her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University, working with renown nuclear physicist C. S. Wu. She joined AAPT in 1987. From 1976 - 2003 she was a member of the physics faculty at Ball State University, where in 1991, she was named George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Physics. From 1987 until 1992, she served as Director of the Center for Global Security Studies at Ball State. In 1984–85 she was a William C. Foster Fellow at the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. In fall 2003 she accepted the positions of professor of physics and chair of the Department of Physics at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

Howes published several articles on improving physics education in several notable journals, including the American Journal of Physics, The Physics Teacher, Physics Today, and the Journal of College Science Teachers. She also served as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Congressional Fellow from 1993 to 1994, working in the education office of the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources on improving general science policy and higher education funding. From 1994-1995, Howes served as program director for undergraduate physics programs at the National Science Foundation, and as chair of the American Physical Society Forum on Education in 1996.

In 2000, Howes served as AAPT President. In this role she spearheaded a reexamination of AAPT priorities and an effort to identify future goals for our organization. In the summer of 2000 she organized an Executive Board retreat for the purpose of addressing long-range planning for AAPT. The impact of her leadership has been long lasting, for these goals continue to guide the course of AAPT. She also began to serve as deputy chair of the National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics that year. Through a grant from ExxonMobil Foundation, the Task Force’s Strategic Programs for Innovations in Undergraduate Education, or the SPIN-UP initiative, sought out exemplary undergraduate physics programs across the United States. Along with Ken Krane and Task Force Chair, Bob Hilborn, Howes worked tirelessly to develop and coordinate activities designed to “revitalize” our nation’s undergraduate physics programs based on these thriving physics departments. Emulating the SPIN-UP four-year institution model initiated by the Task Force, a similar effort was initiated at two-year colleges. Her experience with the Task Force made her an invaluable resource on the Advisory Committee of the National Science Foundation -supported project, SPIN-UP/TYC.

The scope of her publications perhaps best illustrates the diversity of her interests and talents. These titles include: “Why Many Undergraduate Physics Programs Are Good but Few Are Great,” “MoNA—The Modular Neutron Array,” “Technical Debate over Patriot Performance in the Gulf War,” and "Their Day in the Sun: Women and the Manhattan Project". Howes was honored many times for her contributions to physics and physics education. She was a Fellow of the Indiana Academy of Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society, and the American Association of Physics Teachers. She was presented with the 2003 Perham Award for Indiana Women of Achievement.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Howes and https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/pte/article/42/4/200/274437/2004-Distinguished-Service-Citations-Awarded-Ruth

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