The History of OSA
Ira Sprague Bowen: Frederic Ives Medalist, 1952
Ira Bowen is remembered for his contributions to the fields of physics and astronomy. His research in ultraviolet spectroscopy provided a base for electron spin theory and solved the nebulium enigma. His mastery of applied optics gave us telescope designs that are still used to explore the universe.
Ira Bowen (right) in the lab with Robert Millikan.
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives
Ira Bowen, or “Ike,” was born 21 December 1898 in Seneca Falls, N.Y., U.S.A., where his father was pastor of the local church. Two years later, the family moved to a small village in western Pennsylvania. However, he attended school at the Houghton Wesleyan Methodist Seminary in New York, where his mother was a teacher. Bowen took an early interest in popular science, as presented in magazines such as Popular Mechanics and Scientific American. He graduated from Houghton high school in 1915 as valedictorian of his class.
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