Person: Dadourian, Haroutune
Haroutune Dadourian was professor of mathematics and physics at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut. He did important work on radioactivity and wrote five mathematics textbooks for science students taking a different approach from that of most authors.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- Mugurdich Everek Dadourian made copper goods in a small workshop and sold them in a separate shop.
- In 1893, when he was 14 years old, Haroutune went to the St Paul's Institute in Tarsus for his secondary education.
- Haroutune was taught in the school's first building, Shepard Hall, where around 200 pupils were taught in six classes.
- Dadourian spent five years at this school as a pupil, was awarded a B.S. in 1899 and taught there for two years 1898-1900.
- Dadourian sailed from Boulogne-sur-Mer in France to New York on the ship the Cap Frio, arriving in New York on Sunday 14 October 1900.
- Two days later Dadourian began his studies at the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University.
- As an undergraduate, Dadourian attended lectures by Hastings and also by Lynde Phelps Wheeler (1874-1959) and Henry Andrews Bumstead (1870-1920).
- He was awarded his Ph.D. while Dadourian was an undergraduate and his research interests were in optics, electricity, and radio.
- Although Dadourian's interests were in mathematics and physics, because of the topics offered at the Sheffield Scientific School be graduated in 1903 with the degree of Ph.B. (Bachelor of Philosophy) with honours in Electrical Engineering.
- Bumstead's main research at this time was on radioactivity so it was natural that Dadourian worked on that for his Ph.D. His work was also influenced by Bertram Borden Boltwood (1870-1927).
- Boltwood had been an instructor at the Sheffield Scientific School 1896-1900, but at the time Dadourian began his graduate studies Boltwood was working in his private laboratory at 139 Orange Street, New Haven.
- Dadourian was awarded an M.A. in 1905, following which he was appointed as an Assistant in Physics, and a Ph.D. in 1906 for his thesis On the radioactivity of underground air and on some radioactive properties of thorium.
- At this stage Dadourian still thought it possible he might return to Armenia to teach there so he decided that rather than concentrate on research he would be better employed writing a textbook.
- In 1911 Dadourian returned to his hometown in Turkey for a visit to see his relations there.
- He suggested to Dadourian that he could benefit from a research visit to the Cavendish Laboratory working with J J Thomson.
- Dadourian went in 1914, spending the summer at the Cavendish Laboratory.
- On 21 February 1917 Dadourian completed the military census form for the State of Connecticut.
- After Dadourian completed his war work at Princeton in 1919 he accepted an offer from Trinity College, Hartford, and became an associate professor of physics there.
- Dadourian, who was called Daddy by his students, was Seabury Professor of Mathematics and Natural Science at Trinity College, Hartford, from 1923 until his retirement in 1949.
Born 5 December 1878, Everek, Ottoman Empire (now Develi, Turkey). Died 1 June 1974, West Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
View full biography at MacTutor
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Origin Turkey
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- @J-J-O'Connor
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References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
