Elizabeth Garber (1939–2020) was an American

historian of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Mesopo ...

known for her work on

James Clerk Maxwell James Clerk Maxwell (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and scientist responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, which was the first theory to describe electricity, magnetism and ligh ...

and the history of physics. She was a professor of history for many years at

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State University of New York syste ...

Education and career

Elizabeth Anne Wolfe was born in England and studied mathematics, physics, and geology at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

. After moving to the United States and marrying physicist Donald Garber, she earned a Ph.D. from

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Res ...

with a dissertation on Maxwell. She became a faculty member at

, and retired in 2008.

Books

Garber was the author of: *''The Language of Physics: The Calculus and the Development of Theoretical Physics in Europe, 1750-1914'' (Birkhäuser, 1999) She co-edited several books collecting the works of James Clerk Maxwell: *''Maxwell on Saturn's Rings'' (edited with Stephen G. Brush and C. W. F. Everitt, MIT Press, 1983) *''Maxwell on Molecules and Gases'' (edited with Stephen G. Brush and C. W. F. Everitt, MIT Press, 1986) *''Maxwell on Heat and Statistical Mechanics: On "Avoiding All Personal Enquiries of Molecules"'' (edited with Stephen G. Brush and C. W. F. Everitt, Associated University Presses, 1995) She also edited: *''Beyond History of Science: Essays in Honor of Robert E. Schofield'' (Lehigh University Press, 1990)

Recognition

Garber was named a

Fellow of the American Physical Society The American Physical Society honors members with the designation ''Fellow'' for having made significant accomplishments to the field of physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its moti ...

in 1989 "for her research in the history of physics, including the development of kinetic theory and molecular science in the 19th century."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garber, Elizabeth Living people American historians of science American women historians Alumni of the University of London Stony Brook University faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society 1939 births 21st-century American women