Collection inventory

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Nathan Ginsburg Papers

An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives

Finding aid created by: Kyle C. Wilson
Date: 2007

Revision history:

Biography

Nathan Ginsburg was born in 1910 in Casey, Illinois. After graduating from Marietta College and Ohio State University, he continued his education at the University of Michigan, where he began publishing journal articles based on his research in infrared spectroscopy. Ginsburg joined the Syracuse University Physics Department in 1946; he became an associate professor in 1948 and a professor in 1952. While serving as chair of the Physics Department from 1964 to 1972, he guided the construction of the new Physics building so that it met the research needs of the faculty. Ginsburg also served as acting dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1972 to 1973. While teaching, he also developed the far-infrared grating spectrometer and worked on Syracuse University Research Institute contracts for the United States military. After retiring from Syracuse University in 1976, Ginsburg joined the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., where he explored the optical properties of oxide layers on semiconductors and the effects of microwaves on life forms.

Ginsburg was a member of the American Physical Society, the Optical Society of America, and the New York Astronomical Corporation. He died in Texas on March 22, 1996.

Scope and Content Note

Spanning between 1931 and 1978, the Nathan Ginsburg Papers document his scholarly activities and scientific research while a Fellow at the University of Michigan and a physics professor and acting dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University. The folders contain Ginsburg's dissertation, journal and research reprints documenting his research in infrared spectroscopy, several Syracuse University Department of Physics/Institute of Research Final Reports for military contracts, and materials regarding geometrical optics. There are additional folders containing journal articles and documents written by Ginsburg's colleagues.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Nathan Ginsburg's files on the planning of the Physics Building are located in the Syracuse University Archives' Physics Department Collection, Acession Number 1975-0327.

A portrait file of Ginsburg, named "Ginsburg, Nathan, Faculty & Staff," is available in Syracuse University Archives' Portrait Collection.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Ginsburg, Nathan, 1910-1996.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Infrared spectroscopy.
Microwave spectroscopy.
College teachers.
Higher education.
Physicists.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Nathan Ginsburg Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Ruth Ginsburg, between 1996 and 1997.

Processing Information

Materials have been rehoused in an acid-free box and folders and paper clips were removed.

Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically.

Table of Contents

Research and Writings

Inventory