Jabez Curry Street (May 5, 1906 – November 7, 1989) 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 ...

, a co-discoverer of atomic particles called

muons A muon ( ; from the Greek letter mu (μ) used to represent it) is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with an electric charge of −1 '' e'' and a spin of ''ħ'', but with a much greater mass. It is classified as a le ...

. National Academies Press:Biographical Memoirs:Jabez Curry Street;By K. T. Bainbridge, E. M. Purcell, N. F. Ramsey, and K. Strauch
/ref> Street was also notable for heading the group at

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

that created ground and ship radar systems. He also directed development of

LORAN LORAN (Long Range Navigation) was a hyperbolic navigation, hyperbolic radio navigation system developed in the United States during World War II. It was similar to the UK's Gee (navigation), Gee system but operated at lower frequencies in order ...

Navigation System, which is used worldwide for navigation purposes. Street was chairman of the physics department at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and acting director of the Cambridge Electron Accelerator, a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

. The

National Academies Press The US National Academies Press (NAP) was created to publish the reports issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (formerly known as the National Research Council (United States), National Research Council), the Na ...

called him "a boldly innovative experimental physicist whose discoveries in cosmic rays influenced decisively the course of high-energy physics."

Chronology

* May 5, 1906: born in

Opelika, Alabama Opelika (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Alabama, Lee County in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States censu ...

* 1927: B.S. in electrical engineering, the

Alabama Polytechnic Institute Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a total enrollment of more than 34,000 students ...

(renamed in 1960 Auburn University) * 1931: Ph.D., the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

with thesis ''The fall of potential in electrical discharges'' under the supervision of Jesse Wakefield Beams * 1932–1970:

, Instructor to Professor of Physics * 1936: elected a Fellow 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 ...

(search on year=1936 and institution=Harvard University) * 1937: discovers muons with E. C. Stevenson at

* 1940–1945:

Radiation Laboratory, Researcher * 1953: elected to the

* 1955–1960:

, Chair, Department of Physics * 1962–1963: Harvard-MIT Cambridge Electron Accelerator, Acting Director * 1970–1976:

, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics * 1976: retired * 1976–1989:

, Emeritus Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics * November 7, 1989: died in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Street, Jabez C. 1906 births 1989 deaths People from Opelika, Alabama University of Virginia alumni Auburn University alumni 20th-century American physicists Harvard University faculty Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Physicists from Alabama