Professor Emeritus David A. Lind passed away Friday March 6, 2015 at the age of 96.
David earned a B.S. in Physics from the University of Washington in 1940, and a Ph.D. in Physics from CalTech in 1948. He joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin as an assistant professor in 1951.
David Lind joined the faculty of the 乐播传媒 Department of Physics as an associate professor in 1956, the same year as Jack Kraushaar and George Gamow.听 This marked the beginning of a period of remarkable transformation for the department. David and Jack were the faculty leaders in creating, designing, and running the 乐播传媒 Cyclotron. They were the principal investigators of the contract from the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission for a design study of a cyclotron with azimuthally varying magnetic field. Such cyclotrons had been proposed to overcome the problem that conventional cyclotrons with azimuthally symmetric magnetic fields were limited to non-relativistic energies. Within a year, that contract had been modified to cover the design and construction of a 52-inch cyclotron capable of accelerating protons to 30 MeV, as well as accelerating deuterons, helium three ions, and alpha particles, one of only three similar cyclotrons in the country. The design process was led by David, Jack, Rod Smythe and Martin Rickey. A key feature of the machine was its ability to deliver particles to the target with a continuously variable range of energies. The State of Colorado provided funds for a building to house the cyclotron (pictured left), and the facility became the CU Nuclear Physics Laboratory with David and Jack as co-directors. David served as director 1958-1965 and 1978-1979. The CU Nuclear Physics program conducted pioneering research for more than twenty-five years, providing research and educational opportunities for hundreds of undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows.
David was elected chair of the department in 1974 and served until 1978.听He retired from the physics faculty in 1983, and was awarded the Robert Sterns Award the same year.
Besides his scientific and leadership skills, David was well-know as an expert skier.听Dave's love for the physical world did not end at the doors of his lab. His passion for mountain climbing and skiing led him to develop and teach a course on the physics of snow and avalanche phenomena for geographers, geologists, and snow and ice scientists at the CU Arctic and Alpine Institute. In 1996 he wrote The Physics of Skiing, published by the American Institute of Physics. He was a consultant for the National Ski Patrol Association, developing avalanche rescue beacons. He was a leader in the Colorado Mountain Club and was active with the Sierra Club, Seattle Mountaineers, and the American Alpine Club. In 1940, Dave, Fred and Helmy Beckey, Jim Crooks, and Lloyd Anderson (founder of REI) made the first ascent of Forbidden Peak in the North Cascades. Dave's REI number was 33. He taught technical climbing, led over 100 back country ski trips, and skied into his 80s, having started at 11 when he made his own skis using wood barrel planks. David was listed in Who's Who in America, American Men of Science, and he was a Counselor at Large of the American Physical Society.
David Lind helped lead the transformation of the CU Department of Physics into the world-class program it has become. He will be missed.
Professor Lind's family will be scheduling a memorial service in late May.
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