Earle Keith Plyler (April 26, 1897 in Greenville, South Carolina – June 8, 1976 in Tallahassee, Florida), was an American physicist and an important pioneer of

infrared spectroscopy Infrared spectroscopy (IR spectroscopy or vibrational spectroscopy) is the measurement of the interaction of infrared radiation with matter by absorption, emission, or reflection. It is used to study and identify chemical substances or functio ...

and

molecular spectroscopy Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets electromagnetic spectra. In narrower contexts, spectroscopy is the precise study of color as generalized from visible light to all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectrosc ...

. He is the namesake of the " Earle K. Plyler Prize" of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...

Life

Plyler originates from Greenville, South Carolina, where he graduated in Physics from

Furman University Furman University is a private university in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1826 and named after Baptist pastor Richard Furman, the Liberal arts college, liberal arts university is the oldest private institution of higher l ...

(B.A. 1917, M.A. 1918). After scientific work at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

he obtained his Ph.D. in 1924 at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. From 1924 until 1941 Plyler lectured at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

, subsequently at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

from 1941 until 1945. In 1945 Plyler joined the

National Bureau of Standards The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sc ...

where he worked until 1962, when he became professor at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

in Tallahassee.

Achievements

Earle Plyler was an important pioneer of Molecular Spectroscopy and Infrared Spectroscopy. In his memory the American Physical Society regularly issues the "Earle K. Plyler Prize" for outstanding achievements in Molecular Spectroscopy. The Plyler Prize has already been issued to Nobel Prize Winners three times.

Sources

Interview of Dr. Earle K. Plyler by E. Scott Barr and W. James King on April 7, 1964, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD USA
* Plyler, Earle Keith: E. K. Plyler Intellectual autobiography, 1962. * * 1897 births 1976 deaths People from Greenville, South Carolina Furman University alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni 20th-century American physicists University of Michigan faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society {{US-physicist-stub