John William Snider

John W. Snider, Emeritus Professor of Physics at Miami University in Ohio, passed away on 19 February 2009.

Born 13 September 1924 and graduating from high school in 1942, John entered Miami University as an undergraduate 1942‑43. He served in World War II as B‑24 bombardier flying 20 combat missions out of England and attaining the rank of Captain. He completed his A.B. in physics at Miami in 1948, then taught high school mathematics and science 1948‑49. In 1949 John married Geneva “Genny” Palmer, his beloved companion for fifty‑nine years.

Returning to Miami, John earned his M.A. in 1951 and was promptly hired as Instructor, then Assistant Professor in 1953. During a three‑year leave of absence he earned his Ph.D. in low temperature physics, studying paramagnetic susceptibility of synthetic ruby crystals below 1K with John Daunt at The Ohio State University. John was Associate Professor 1961‑1973 and then Professor until his retirement in 1992.

John directed the master’s thesis research, in low‑temperature physics, of a series of students, many of whom continued to doctoral research at universities which grant the Ph.D. in physics. A skilled experimentalist, John had a special interest in instrumentation. At the request of the Chemistry Department, he developed and taught an advanced course in instrumentation which was required for chemistry majors, and at the request of the School of Applied Science, he developed and taught an introductory physics course for majors in technology.

John was among the first to develop and teach the interfacing of physics instrumentation to microcomputers such as the Apple IIe. In this he collaborated with Joseph Priest. In summer 1986 John presented their results at the International Conference on Computers in Physics Education in Klagenfurt, Austria; this attracted much interest, and he reported that at that time nowhere in Europe was interfacing of transducers to computers being taught to undergraduates. In 1989 Priest and Snider published Electronics for Physics Experiments: using the Apple IIe computer, and in 1990 they received the Higher Education Software Award for Distinguished Curriculum Implementation from the National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning (NCRIPTAL).

In addition to his career at Miami, in summers 1958‑1969 John was a Research Physicist at Mound Laboratory of Monsanto Research Corporation, where he performed research in superconductivity, thermal transpiration, and investigation of helium‑3 as a vapor pressure standard. He was also consultant on vacuum equipment 1962‑1967 for the Ohio River Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

In the community, John was active in his church and in Boy Scouts. He served for many years as Scoutmaster and Assistant District Commissioner of the Fort Hamilton District of the Boy Scouts of America, and in 1972 he received the Silver Beaver Award, one of the highest honors achievable.

John epitomized an era when the physics department faculty felt like a family, even going camping together under his leadership. He epitomized the selfless attitude, “What can I do that would be best for the Department?” John will be greatly missed.