author
Jr. (Josiah Parsons) Josiah P. Cooke
1827–1894
A pioneering American chemist, he helped turn chemistry into a hands-on academic discipline in the United States. At Harvard, his teaching and research on atomic weights influenced a generation of scientists.
1 Audiobook
Scientific Culture, and Other Essays Second Edition; with Additions
by Jr. (Josiah Parsons) Josiah P. Cooke
About the author
Born in Boston in 1827, he studied at Harvard College and spent nearly his entire career there, becoming one of the key figures in shaping chemistry as a serious laboratory science in America. He was appointed Erving Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy in 1850 and is widely associated with building Harvard's chemistry department into a major center for teaching and research.
His scientific work focused especially on atomic weights and mineral chemistry. He is often remembered not only for his own research, but also for the way he brought practical laboratory instruction into university teaching at a time when that approach was still new in the United States.
He died in 1894, but his influence lasted well beyond his lifetime through his students and the standards he helped set for chemical education.