Clemson physics professor honored by American Physical Society

Published: January 17, 2012

Terry M. Tritt image by: Clemson University

CLEMSON — Terry M. Tritt, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Physics at Clemson University, has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the scientific society's highest member honor.

The award cites his "career-long contributions to the science and engineering of thermoelectric materials, the industrial application of that knowledge, and the education and promotion of numerous young scientists and engineers."

American Physical Society Fellows are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to the field of physics. Fellowship is limited to no more than one half of 1 percent of the membership.

"A fellowship election is a distinct honor because he is nominated and selected by experts in his division of the society. It's a pleasure to see him achieve this honor," said Mark Leising, interim chairman of Clemson's physics and astronomy department. "This high recognition by his peers is a true testament to the value of Terry's work in the field."

Tritt is an expert in thermoelectric materials, which work in two ways: one can apply electrical power and move heat from cold to hot, say, from inside a refrigerator to outside, or one can supply heat and generate electrical power. He has extensive expertise in the science of measurement and has built a laboratory internationally known for measuring and describing materials' thermoelectric parameters, especially their ability to conduct heat. He recently has become involved in the synthesis and characterization of thermoelectric nanomaterials and nanocomposites.

But it is the award's mention of his mentorship that pleased him most.

"I especially am proud that they recognized the fact that I try to promote the careers of young people in the field," Tritt said. "When I organize a meeting or workshop I always try to pick a newly graduated Ph.D. in a faculty or industrial position to give an invited talk."

Tritt earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Clemson. After receiving his Ph.D. in physics in 1985, he joined the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C., first as a research associate and later as a research physicist. An adjunct professor at Clemson since 1991, he joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1996.

The American Physical Society was founded in 1899 as a source of information for the advancement of physics. With 46,000 members, it conducts education and outreach and is active in governmental affairs and in the international physics community.

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