Education
University of Michigan. University of Kansas.
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John Donovan
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Strong, one of the world’s foremost optical scientists, was known for being the first to detect water vapor in the atmosphere of Venus and for developing a number of innovations in optical devices, ranging from improved telescope mirrors to anti-reflective coatings for optical elements and diffraction gratings. Born in Lawrence, Kansas in 1905, Strong received degrees from the University of Kansas (Bachelor 1926) and the University of Michigan (Mississippi, 1928, Doctor of Philosophy, 1930). After twelve years at Caltech and wartime research at Harvard on infrared systems, Strong became professor and director of the Astrophysics and Physical Meteorology Laboratories at Johns Hopkins University in 1946, where, among many other projects, he conducted research on balloon astronomy for the Office of Naval Research (Office of Naval Research).
Strong published hundreds of papers throughout his career and was author of Procedures in Experimental Physics, a standard physics textbook for many years.
Strong served as president of the American Optical Association in 1959 and patented numerous inventions for optics in spectroscopy as well as golf (see United States Patent no 3720467). Strong died in 1992.
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Born
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Died
1992 (aged 87)