SACRED LEGACY ARCHIVES™

Robert W. Wood

1868-05-02 – 1955-08-11

Robert Williams Wood, taken c.1910Credit: The original uploader was Vinograd19 at Russian Wikipedia.

Life & Legacy

Robert Williams Wood (May 2, 1868 – August 11, 1955) was an American physicist and inventor who made pivotal contributions to the field of optics. He pioneered infrared and ultraviolet photography. Wood's patents and theoretical work inform modern understanding of the physics of ultraviolet light, and made possible myriad uses of UV fluorescence, which became popular after World War I. He published many articles on spectroscopy, phosphorescence, diffraction, and ultraviolet light.

Occupation & Career

physicist, novelist, university teacher, science fiction writer, inventor

Education

Harvard University; University of Chicago; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Roxbury Latin School

Accomplishments, Inventions & Publications

Frederic Ives Medal; Rumford Medal; Henry Draper Medal; Matteucci Medal; Rumford Prize; Guthrie Lecture; Foreign Member of the Royal Society

Legacy Highlights

Honors & Awards

Foreign Member of the Royal Society · Frederic Ives Medal · Guthrie Lecture · Henry Draper Medal · Matteucci Medal · Rumford Medal · Rumford Prize

Employer

Johns Hopkins University

Organizations & Memberships

Academy of Sciences of the USSR · Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei · American Academy of Arts and Sciences · American Philosophical Society · German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina · Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony · National Academy of Sciences · Royal Society of London · Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences