George O. Zimmerman

George O. Zimmerman, Ph.D.
Born January 1, 1935
Poland
Residence United States
Nationality USA
Fields Physics, Solid State, Cryogenics
Institutions BU
Alma mater Yale University
Doctoral advisor Henry Fairbank
Website
http://physics.bu.edu/people/show/goz

George O. Zimmerman, Ph.D., (born 1935) is a Polish born American scientist, researcher, inventor, professor emeritus of physics and former physics department chair at Boston University. Professor Zimmerman achieved his PhD in solid state physics in 1963 at Yale University and came to Boston University in the fall of 1963.

Zimmerman's major contributions in physics include discoveries in Condensed Matter and Solid State Physics, phase transitions at ultra low temperatures, magnetically intercalated graphite compounds, Jahn-Teller materials, and applied superconductivity and modeling.[1] Zimmerman is also well known for his popular lectures on physics, hands-on advanced laboratory lectures and, a Summer Research Internship Program for High School students.[1][2]

Early life and education

Zimmerman was born George Ogurek Zimmerman in 1935 in Poland. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from Yale University in 1963. His thesis was in experimental low temperature physics.

After a few months as a post-doc with C.T. Lane at Yale, he joined the Physics Department at Boston University[1] His research interests are in Condensed Matter and Solid State Physics. More specifically, some of the topics of interest are phase transitions, some at ultra low temperatures, magnetically intercalated graphite compounds, Jahn-Teller materials, and applied superconductivity and modeling. At Boston University, Zimmerman was department chair for 12 years, chaired the Faculty Council, and was a member and chair of several other influential university committees.

His research collaborations include the Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory at MIT, and sabbaticals at Brookhaven National Laboratory, UC San Diego, Leiden University, Holland, Harvard University, Cambridge, and Imperial College, London.

He is currently a Member At Large of the Governing Board of the Forum on the History of Physics (FHP) and its Webmaster ad hoc. He is also conducting oral history interviews which are being archived at the Niels Bohr Library and Archives.

He established a Summer Research Internship Program for High School students over 30 years ago.

Academic career

Society memberships

Discovery

Inventions

Zimmerman has developed high temperature superconductor based high current leads, which became the first industrial application of the then newly discovered high temperature ceramic superconductors.[3] Some of Zimmerman's inventions were granted a patent as listed here (patent number and title):

Books

Some of his latest research and studies are in his publications:[4]

Lectures

References