Dates

• Existence: 1923-2014
• Existence: 1923 - 2014

Biographical Note

Robert Resnick was born on January 11^th, 1923, in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his B.A. in 1943 and his Ph.D. in 1949, both in physics from Johns Hopkins University. He was a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh from 1949 to 1956, where he met David Halliday. The two would later write and publish Fundamentals of Physics in 1960, which would go on to be Resnick’s most widely read textbook. Resnick became a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1956, and was the head of the interdisciplinary science curriculum for fifteen years. He authored or co-authored seven textbooks on general physics, quantum physics, and relativity. From 1974 to his retirement in 1993, he was the Edward P. Hamilton Distinguished Professor of Science Education at RPI. In 1974, Resnick received the Oersted Medal, the highest award given by the American Association of Physics Teachers. He was also the president of the society from 1986 to 1990. He was an honorary research fellow and visiting professor at Harvard (1964-65), an honorary visiting professor to the People’s Republic of China (1981 and 1985), and received numerous awards, including the Exxon Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching (1954), the RPI Distinguished Faculty Award (1971), and Outstanding Educator of the Year (1972). Upon his retirement in 1993, he was Rensselaer’s commencement speaker. Rensselaer later created the Robert Resnick Center for Physics Education, and the Robert Resnick Lecture Series in his honor. He was inducted into Rensselaer’s Hall of Fame in 2003. Resnick died at his home in Pittsburgh, PA, on January 29^th, 2014.

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