Harold Emil "Bud" Rorschach Jr. (November 25, 1926 – June 5, 1993), was an American

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

. He joined the faculty of

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

in 1952, and served there throughout his career. He was three times the chairman of the physics department and was principal investigator of the NASA interdisciplinary laboratory at Rice, which conducted research involving a wide range of studies on solid materials.

Life and career

Rorschach was born November 25, 1926, in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

, to Harold E. Rorschach Sr. and Margaret Hermes Rorschach. He died as a result of a stroke on June 5, 1993, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, where he was visiting relatives.Williams, Melissa. "Physics professor Rorschach dies." ''Rice Thresher.'' August 20, 1993.
Accessed February 14, 2016. Harold attended the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, where he earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees. He then entered the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

, where he earned the Doctor of Philosophy degree in physics in 1951. In 1952, he joined the faculty of Rice University (then named the Rice Institute) in Houston, Texas as a physics professor. In 1963, he was awarded a Brown Prize for Teaching Excellence. "Brown receives Brown Award for Teaching Excellence." ''Rice Thresher''. September 16, 1971.
Accessed February 15, 2016. After Rorschach's death, his widow established the ''Dr. Harold E. Rorschach, Jr. Endowed Undergraduate Research Award in Physics''.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rohrschach, Harold E. Jr. 1926 births 1993 deaths 20th-century American physicists Academics from Tulsa, Oklahoma Scientists from Tulsa, Oklahoma Scientists from Houston University of Pennsylvania alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni Rice University faculty