Physicist receives honorary degree from Russia's oldest university
Only 2nd American to earn honor from St. Petersburg State University

Vanderbilt physicist Joseph E. Hamilton is only the second American to receive an honorary doctorate from St. Petersburg State University, which was founded by Peter the Great in 1724 and is the oldest institution of higher learning in Russia.

"Professor Hamilton belongs to the world leaders in nuclear structure research," the certificate that accompanied the title of "Doctor Honoris Causa" stated. The honorary degree was presented to Hamilton, who is the Landon C. Garland Distinguished Professor of Physics, in a ceremony May 29 on the St. Petersburg campus.

Hamilton

Hamilton has received worldwide recognition for his contributions to understanding the various shapes that the nuclei of atoms can take when immersed in a highly energetic environment: a subject upon which he has published more than 700 scientific publications. He was one of those who discovered that atomic nuclei assume a multiplicity of different shapes when banged around in a high-energy particle accelerator. In such conditions, the same nucleus can take on not only spherical and football shapes, but even more extreme pancake- and cigar-like forms. This knowledge has improved scientific understanding of the basic factors that make the nuclei of some elements remarkably stable while others are less stable and many are radioactive.

According to the St. Petersburg certificate, Hamilton has been "a creator of both exceptional, high-eff iciency, significant experimental devices and organizations, which have made large, inestimable contributions to contemporary nuclear physics." It specifically cites his membership on 37 organizational committees for various national and international scientific conferences and his key role in establishing two unique educational/scientific organizations: the University Isotope Separator at Oak Ridge, a consortium of 12 universities that supports research at a key facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Joint Institute for Heavy Ion Research.

This is Hamilton's fourth honorary doctorate. Previous degrees are from Mississippi College, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1954, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universitat in Frankfurt and the University of Bucharest in Romania. In addition, he has been designated an "Honorary Advisory Professor" at Fudan University in Shanghai.

The globe-spanning nature of his honorary degrees reflects the international nature of Hamilton's research activities. For example, his ongoing collaboration with a number of Russian scientists, including several at St. Petersburg, has produced more than 200 scientific papers. In 1992, an international conference was held in Florida to honor Hamilton's 60th birthday, and in 1996 he received an award for international cooperation from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Hamilton was named Outstanding Professor of the Year for Tennessee in 1991 by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education for his "extraordinary contributions to the lives and careers of undergraduate students and to the intellectual welfare of our society."

Physicist receives honorary degree from Russia's oldest university Only 2nd American to earn honor from St. Petersburg State University

Physicist receives honorary degree from Russia's oldest university
Only 2nd American to earn honor from St. Petersburg State University