Vanderbilt University Physics Professor Joseph Hamilton Visits Mississippi College

Joseph Hamilton

An internationally celebrated professor of physics, Joseph Hamilton will return to his alma mater, Mississippi College, to deliver a lecture on the Clinton campus September 13.

It’s going to be quite a special occasion for Hamilton as MC faculty, staff and students welcome the physicist from Vanderbilt University. The Mississippi College graduate received international acclaim when he co-discovered new elements 113, 115 and 117 in the Periodic Table of the Chemistry Elements between 2010 and 2012. The fascinating discoveries will be the focus of his MC lecture.

“Dr. Hamilton’s contributions to science this year and all throughout his career have been extraordinary,” says Chris Maggio, interim chairman of the Department of Computer Science and Physics. ”We are very fortunate to have alumni such as Dr. Hamilton who demonstrate exceptional talents in their chosen fields and represent our university so well at an international level.”

A native of Ferriday, Louisiana, Hamilton is a 1954 Mississippi College alumnus who earned a master’s and doctorate at Indiana University. Hamilton is the Landon C. Garland Distinguished Professor of Physics at the university’s Nashville campus. He first joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1958.

Dr. Hamilton’s lecture is scheduled at 3 p.m. that Thursday at Self Hall’s Lecture Hall at the headquarters of MC’s School of Business. The lecture is free and open to the public. He’s greatly admired at his alma mater. The Tennessee resident was named MC’s 2010 Physics Alumnus of the Year.

Maggio says he’s grateful to Hamilton for his efforts to share his career experiences with students. “He serves as a great example to them of the significant contributions that Mississippi College alumni are making toward the advancement of the sciences.”

Ron Howard, vice president for academic affairs, poured on the praise for the extraordinary 80-year-old educator and researcher. “He’s one of our most prestigious alumni.”

In 1989, students named Hamilton as Vanderbilt’s Outstanding Professor of the Year. He’s written more than 1,000 nuclear physics articles appearing in academic journals and books.