jpmcevoy
jpmcevoy
| Forum role | Member since | Last activity | Topics created | Replies created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Dec 13, 2014 (11 years) |
5 years | 0 | 1 |
- Forum role
- Member
- Member since
Dec 13, 2014 (11 years)
- Last activity
- 5 years
- Topics created
- 0
- Replies created
- 1
Bio
J.P. McEvoy was born in the U.S.A. and received his B.S. in physics and mathematics at St. Joseph's College (now University) in 1959. He attributes the strong liberal emphasis of his undergraduate training to his decision to eventually give up research to concentrate on teaching and writing.
After receiving the Masters Degree in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania, he began work as a research physicist at the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in NJ where he was named the David Sarnoff Doctoral Fellow and set sail for England to continue his work in superconductivity. With his PhD in physics from the University of London, he returned to the U.S.A. as a research associate at the RCA Laboratories in Princeton, NJ. For the next 15 years he worked in solid state physics as a research scientist and university professor in the USA, Switzerland and Britain, publishing over 50 papers, mostly on the low temperature properties of metals.
At Clark University in Massachusetts from 1968-1973, McEvoy played a leading part in the radical movement among academics to make physics more accessible to the non- specialist. He developed courses in physics and astronomy for students from the arts, the humanities and the social sciences using an historical approach initially inspired by the Harvard Project Physics course. Hundreds of students enrolled from all departments and this success led to more involvement in the commitment to improving public understanding of science.
Returning to London as Head of Physics at the American School in London (ASL), he formed the Study Committee of Physics Teachers in the European Council of Int'l Schools to co-ordinate and improve science curricula. Now a popularizer of physics and astronomy, he has been involved in journalism and radio broadcasting in London and appeared as a presenter on The Discovery Channel's live coverage Europe’s total solar eclipse on 11 August 1999. This followed his book, Eclipse, the study of the history of solar eclipses, published by Fourth Estate in Britain and Berlin Verlag in Germany.
His two books written for Icon Books, Introducing Stephen Hawking, and Introducing Quantum Theory have been acclaimed world wide and and translated into a dozen languages. To launch the former, McEvoy and Hawking presented a science evening to a packed house at the Royal Albert Hall in 1995. His new book for Constable/Robinson titled: A Brief History of the Universe, is selling throughout the English-speaking world.
Recently, he received the prestigious founder’s award given by the American School in London for Inspiring and Dedicated Service to Education. He lives in London with his wife Patricia, a family therapist.
WordPress.com Forums 