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"The Amateur Scientist" was a column in the Scientific American, and was the definitive "how-to" resource for citizen-scientists for over 72 years (1928–2001), making it the longest running column in Scientific American's history.^[1]^[2]^[3] The column was regarded for revealing the brass-tacks secrets of research and showing home-based experimenters how to make original discoveries using only inexpensive materials. Since its début in 1928, "The Amateur Scientist" was a primary resource for science fair projects. It also inspired amateur experimenters, launched careers in science, and enjoyed a place of honor in classrooms and school libraries all over the world.

Although always accessible to an amateur's budget, projects from "The Amateur Scientist" were often elegant and sophisticated. Some designs were so innovative that they set new standards in a field. Indeed, professionals continue to borrow from "The Amateur Scientist" to find low-cost solutions to real-world research problems.

Albert Ingalls

"The Amateur Scientist" traces its pedigree to May 1928, when Albert G. Ingalls began the column as "The Back Yard Astronomer."^[3] Ingalls told amateurs how they could get personally involved in astronomy by building professional-quality instruments and carrying out cutting-edge observations. The first sentence in the new column stated: "Here we amateur telescope makers are, more than 3000 of us, gathered together in our own back yard at last." The name of the column changed several times, to "The Amateur Astronomer", "The Amateur Telescope Maker", and "Telescoptics." Much of the information from these articles was eventually published by Ingalls and Scientific American in the books Amateur Telescope Making. The articles and the books are credited with helping to expand the hobby of amateur telescope making.^[4] In April 1952, Ingalls chose to broaden the column's scope to include "how-to's" from all fields of science. When he did, he also changed the department's name to "The Amateur Scientist."

C. L. Stong

Ingalls wrote his column for almost 30 years, until his retirement in May 1955. In that year the publisher selected Clair L. Stong to continue the feature. Stong was an electrical engineer from 1926 to 1962 for Westinghouse.^[5] He extended the column, frequently peppering it with extremely sophisticated projects including home-built lasers and atom smashers. Many working professional scientists say that they first got hooked on science through Stong's amazing columns. One of the activities Stong promoted during the International Geophysical Year was a program for amateur astronomers called Operation Moonwatch. It involved the tracking of artificial satellites by amateurs.

In 1960 Stong compiled a book titled The Amateur Scientist, (Simon and Schuster) the only collection of articles that has ever been published from this column prior to Carlson and Greaves' complete CD-collection (see below). However, limited to paper and ink, Stong could only fit in 57 projects.^[6] Stong's book was reviewed in New Scientist as "most fascinating"^[7] and sold well. It went out of print in 1972 and is much sought-after today by amateur scientists and collectors.

Jearl Walker

Stong ran the department for over 20 years until he died in 1977. In 1978, Scientific American hired Jearl Walker, Ph.D. to take over. Walker had caught the publisher's attention thanks to The Flying Circus of Physics, Answers, a book Walker wrote which highlighted the fascinating physics of the everyday world.^[8] Under Walker's stewardship "The Amateur Scientist" presented fewer how-to projects, and instead focused on the physics of common phenomena.

Walker resigned from Scientific American in 1990 after 12 years. Collectively, Ingalls, Stong and Walker account for 90 percent of all articles.

Forrest Mims

After Walker left, Scientific American decided to rededicate the column to hands-on projects and so they offered the column to Forrest Mims III, a renowned writer of books for Radio Shack and an amateur scientist. However, during a conversation between Mims and the publisher, it came up that Mims was an evangelical Christian and creationist who rejected the science of evolution. Not wanting to be perceived as supporting Creationism, Scientific American rescinded their offer.^[9] Mims charged religious discrimination without success. Ultimately, the magazine published just three of Mims' articles, along with several letters to the editor concerning his firing.

Although the incident did not diminish Scientific American's commitment to the column, it did make the editors reluctant to offer the column to another amateur scientist. The magazine invited a number of potential columnists to submit articles, some of which it published. But Scientific American was unable to find anyone with both professional credentials and the breadth of scientific interests necessary to recapture the popularity the column enjoyed under Stong and Ingalls. Without a regular columnist, the department languished, appearing only sporadically between 1990 and 1995.

Shawn Carlson

In 1995 Scientific American discovered the Society for Amateur Scientists. Its executive director, Shawn Carlson, Ph.D., was a physicist and established science writer who had left academe a year earlier to devote his career to advancing amateur science. Dr. Carlson took over the column in November of that year and immediately returned its focus to cutting-edge science projects that amateurs can do inexpensively at home. Over one million Scientific American readers turned to "The Amateur Scientist" every month. In 1999, Carlson won a MacArthur Fellowship for science education in part for the innovative projects he developed for "The Amateur Scientist".

In 2001, Scientific American came under new management. As part of a redesign of the magazine, all of the long-running columns were retired, including "The Amateur Scientist". March 2001 was the last time the column ran in Scientific American. Archived versions of the column remained available to Scientific American paid subscribers via their website.

Carlson, along with co-editor Sheldon Greaves, Ph.D., created The Amateur Scientist-The Complete Collection, a CD-ROM containing all the articles in a fully text-searchable HTML format.

Online back-issues and CD-ROM

Sometime after 2007 the Scientific American removed the subscriber-only requirement for certain years of the magazine, making "The Amateur Scientist" column for 1999-2001 available online.

References

^ Bright Science, LLC., Shawn Carlson, Tinker's Guild (2002). Scientific American. Bright Science, LLC. ISBN 9780970347626.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ "Scientific American's, The Amateur Scientist". scienceacademy.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-09. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
^ ^a ^b Carlson, Shawn (2000). The Amateur Astronomer (illustrated ed.). John Wiley & Sons. p. 288. ISBN 9780471382829.
^ W. Patrick McCray, Keep watching the skies!, page 38
^ "C. L. Stong Papers, 1952-1976". siris-archives.si.edu. Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
^ Stong, Clair L. (1960). The Scientific American book of projects for the amateur scientist. Simon and Schuster. p. 584. ISBN 9780671207472.
^ "Do-it-yourself science". New Scientist. 18: 46. 1963.
^ Walker, Jearl (1975). The Flying Circus of Physics. Wiley. pp. 224. ISBN 9780471918080. The Flying Circus of Physics.
^ Farris, Michael P. (1992). Where Do I Draw the Line?. Bethany House Publishers. p. 224. ISBN 9781556612299.

External links

[1] Bright Science, LLC., Shawn Carlson, Tinker's Guild (2002). Scientific American. Bright Science, LLC. ISBN 9780970347626.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[2] "Scientific American's, The Amateur Scientist". scienceacademy.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-09. Retrieved 2009-04-27.

[SC-3] Carlson, Shawn (2000). The Amateur Astronomer (illustrated ed.). John Wiley & Sons. p. 288. ISBN 9780471382829.

[4] W. Patrick McCray, Keep watching the skies!, page 38

[5] "C. L. Stong Papers, 1952-1976". siris-archives.si.edu. Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Retrieved 2009-04-27.

[6] Stong, Clair L. (1960). The Scientific American book of projects for the amateur scientist. Simon and Schuster. p. 584. ISBN 9780671207472.

[7] "Do-it-yourself science". New Scientist. 18: 46. 1963.

[8] Walker, Jearl (1975). The Flying Circus of Physics. Wiley. pp. 224. ISBN 9780471918080. The Flying Circus of Physics.

[9] Farris, Michael P. (1992). Where Do I Draw the Line?. Bethany House Publishers. p. 224. ISBN 9781556612299.

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+{{short description|Column in the Scientific American}}
-[[Scientific American]]'s, '''''The Amateur Scientist''''' column was the definitive "how-to" resource for citizen-scientists for over 72 years [1928 - 2001]. The column was highly regarded for revealing the brass-tacks secrets of research and showing home-based experimenters how to make original discoveries using only inexpensive materials. Since its debut in [[1928]], "The Amateur Scientist" was a primary resource for science fair projects. It also inspired innumerable amateur experimenters, launched careers in science, and enjoyed a place of honor in classrooms and school libraries all over the world.
+"'''The Amateur Scientist'''" was a column in the ''[[Scientific American]]'', and was the definitive "how-to" resource for citizen-scientists for over 72 years (1928–2001), making it the longest running column in ''Scientific American''{{'}}s history.<ref>{{cite book|author=Bright Science, LLC., Shawn Carlson, Tinker's Guild|title=Scientific American|publisher=Bright Science, LLC|date=2002|isbn=9780970347626|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hW0AAAAACAAJ&q=Scientific+American%27s,+The+Amateur+Scientist}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scienceacademy.com/tg.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909080124/http://www.scienceacademy.com/tg.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-09-09|title=Scientific American's, The Amateur Scientist|work=scienceacademy.com|accessdate=2009-04-27}}</ref><ref name="SC">{{cite book|last=Carlson|first=Shawn|title=The Amateur Astronomer |publisher=John Wiley & Sons|date=2000|edition=illustrated|pages=288|isbn=9780471382829|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dKICAAAACAAJ&q=Scientific+American%27s,+The+Amateur+Scientist}}</ref>  The column was regarded for revealing the brass-tacks secrets of research and showing home-based experimenters how to make original discoveries using only inexpensive materials. Since its début in 1928, "The Amateur Scientist" was a primary resource for science fair projects.  It also inspired amateur experimenters, launched careers in science, and enjoyed a place of honor in classrooms and school libraries all over the world.
-Although always accessible to an amateur's budget, projects from "The Amateur Scientist" were often elegant and quite sophisticated. Some designs were so innovative that they set new standards in a field. Indeed, professionals continue to borrow from "The Amateur Scientist" to find low-cost solutions to real-world research problems.
+Although always accessible to an amateur's budget, projects from "The Amateur Scientist" were often elegant and sophisticated. Some designs were so innovative that they set new standards in a field. Indeed, professionals continue to borrow from "The Amateur Scientist" to find low-cost solutions to real-world research problems.
 ==Albert Ingalls==
-"The Amateur Scientist" traces its pedigree to [[1928]], when astronomer [[Albert Ingalls]] began the column as "The Back Yard Astronomer." Ingalls told amateurs how they could get personally involved in astronomy by building professional-quality instruments and carry out cutting-edge observations (which helped to expand the [[hobby]] of [[Amateur telescope making]]). The name of the column changed several times, appearing as "The Amateur Astronomer", "The Amateur Telescope Maker", and "Telescoptics." Much of the information from these articles was eventually published by Ingalls and Scientific American in the books '''Amateur Telescope Making''' (Vols. 1-3). Eventually Ingalls chose to broaden the column's scope to include "how-to's" from all fields of science. When he did, he also changed the department's name to "The Amateur Scientist."
+"The Amateur Scientist" traces its pedigree to May 1928, when [[Albert G. Ingalls]] began the column as "The Back Yard Astronomer."<ref name=SC/> Ingalls told amateurs how they could get personally involved in astronomy by building professional-quality instruments and carrying out cutting-edge observations. The first sentence in the new column stated: "Here we amateur telescope makers are, more than 3000 of us, gathered together in our own back yard at last."  The name of the column changed several times, to "The Amateur Astronomer", "The Amateur Telescope Maker", and "Telescoptics." Much of the information from these articles was eventually published by Ingalls and Scientific American in the books ''[[Amateur Telescope Making]]''. The articles and the books are credited with helping to expand the [[hobby]] of [[amateur telescope making]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=fiP3gRzrtRUC&dq=Albert+Ingalls+telescope+making+movement&pg=PA38  W. Patrick McCray, Keep watching the skies!, page 38]</ref> In April 1952, Ingalls chose to broaden the column's scope to include "how-to's" from all fields of science. When he did, he also changed the department's name to "The Amateur Scientist."
 ==C. L. Stong==
-Ingalls wrote his column for almost 30 years. When he died in [[1954]] the publisher selected C. L. Stong to continue the feature. Stong was an electrical engineer for [[Westinghouse Electric (1886)|Westinghouse]] who extended the column, frequently peppering it with extremely sophisticated projects including home-built [[laser]]s and atom smashers. Many working professional scientists say that they first got hooked on science through Stong's amazing columns. One of the activities Strong promoted during the [[International Geophysical Year]] was a program for amateur astronomers called [[Operation Moonwatch]]. It involved the tracking of satellites by amateurs.
+Ingalls wrote his column for almost 30 years, until his retirement in May 1955. In that year the publisher selected [[C.L. Stong|Clair L. Stong]] to continue the feature. Stong was an electrical engineer from 1926 to 1962 for [[Westinghouse Electric (1886)|Westinghouse]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!140070!0#focus|title= C. L. Stong Papers, 1952-1976|work=siris-archives.si.edu|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Research Information System|accessdate=2009-04-27}}</ref>  He extended the column, frequently peppering it with extremely sophisticated projects including home-built [[laser]]s and atom smashers.  Many working professional scientists say that they first got hooked on science through Stong's amazing columns. One of the activities Stong promoted during the [[International Geophysical Year]] was a program for amateur astronomers called [[Operation Moonwatch]]. It involved the tracking of artificial satellites by amateurs.
-In [[1960]] Stong compiled a book titled ''The Amateur Scientist'', (Simon and Schuster) the only collection of articles that has ever been published from this column prior to Carlson's complete CD-collection (see below). However, limited to paper and ink, Stong could only fit in 57 projects. Despite being only a partial anthology, never being advertised in ''Scientific American'', and appearing long before the rise of home schooling, Stong's book sold over 10,000 copies. It went out of print in [[1972]] and is much sought-after today by amateur scientists and collectors.
+In 1960 Stong compiled a book titled ''The Amateur Scientist'', (Simon and Schuster) the only collection of articles that has ever been published from this column prior to Carlson and Greaves' complete CD-collection (see below). However, limited to paper and ink, Stong could only fit in 57 projects.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stong|first=Clair L.|title=The Scientific American book of projects for the amateur scientist|publisher=Simon and Schuster|date=1960|pages=584|isbn=9780671207472|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yOUWAAAAIAAJ&q=Scientific+American's,+The+Amateur+Scientist}}</ref>  Stong's book was reviewed in [[New Scientist]] as "most fascinating"<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Do-it-yourself science|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wOZDAAAAIAAJ|page=46|journal=New Scientist|year=1963|volume=18}}</ref> and sold well.  It went out of print in 1972 and is much sought-after today by amateur scientists and collectors.
 ==Jearl Walker==
-Stong ran the department for over 20 years until he died in [[1977]]. In [[1978]], Scientific American hired [[Jearl Walker]], Ph. D to take over. Walker had caught the publisher's attention thanks to The Flying Circus of Physics, a book Walker wrote which highlighted the fascinating physics of the everyday world. Under Walker's stewardship "The Amateur Scientist" presented fewer how-to projects, and instead focused on the physics of common phenomena. Walker's columns are still frequently consulted by educators and students alike.
+Stong ran the department for over 20 years until he died in 1977.  In 1978, ''Scientific American'' hired [[Jearl Walker]], Ph.D. to take over.  Walker had caught the publisher's attention thanks to ''The Flying Circus of Physics, Answers'', a book Walker wrote which highlighted the fascinating physics of the everyday world.<ref>{{cite book|last=Walker|first=Jearl|title=The Flying Circus of Physics|publisher=Wiley|date=1975|pages=[https://archive.org/details/flyingcircusofph0000walk_u4t8/page/224 224]|isbn=9780471918080|url=https://archive.org/details/flyingcircusofph0000walk_u4t8|url-access=registration|quote=The Flying Circus of Physics.}}</ref>  Under Walker's stewardship "The Amateur Scientist" presented fewer how-to projects, and instead focused on the physics of common phenomena.
-Walker resigned from Scientific American in [[1990]] after 12 years. Collectively, Ingalls, Stong and Walker account for 90 percent of all articles.
+Walker resigned from ''Scientific American'' in 1990 after 12 years. Collectively, Ingalls, Stong and Walker account for 90 percent of all articles.
 ==Forrest Mims==
-After Walker left, Scientific American decided to rededicate the column to hands-on projects and so they hired [[Forrest Mims|Forrest Mims III]], a renowned writer of books for Radio Shack and an accomplished amateur scientist. However, during a conversation between Mims and the publisher, it came up that Mims was an evangelical Christian who rejects Darwinian evolution and advocated a creationist or intelligent design view of origins. Mims was later asked his views on abortion, and he replied that he was against it. Not wanting to be perceived as supporting [[Creationism]] (a movement that attempts to include the creation story of Genesis in biology curricula as a scientifically viable account of human origins), Scientific American fired Mims. Mims charged religious discrimination and the story was carried through most major US news outlets. Nevertheless, three of Mims' columns were published, along with several letters to the editor.
+After Walker left, ''Scientific American'' decided to rededicate the column to hands-on projects and so they offered the column to [[Forrest Mims|Forrest Mims III]], a renowned writer of books for Radio Shack and an amateur scientist. However, during a conversation between Mims and the publisher, it came up that Mims was an evangelical Christian and creationist who rejected the science of [[evolution]]. Not wanting to be perceived as supporting [[Creationism]], ''Scientific American'' rescinded their offer.<ref>{{cite book|last=Farris|first=Michael P.|title=Where Do I Draw the Line?|publisher=Bethany House Publishers|date=1992|pages=224|isbn=9781556612299|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=POaJAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Forest+Mims%22}}</ref> Mims charged religious discrimination without success.  Ultimately, the magazine published just three of Mims' articles, along with several letters to the editor concerning his firing.
-Although the incident didn't diminish Scientific American's commitment to the column, it did make them reluctant to hire another amateur scientist to write it. But professionals tend to be too narrowly focused in their own disciplines. The publisher invited many potential columnists to submit individual articles, and some of these were published under "The Amateur Scientist." But the magazine was unable to find anyone with both professional credentials and the incredible breadth of science knowledge necessary to recapture the popularity the column enjoyed under Stong and Ingalls. And without a regular columnist, the department languished, appearing only sporadically between 1990 and 1995.
+Although the incident did not diminish ''Scientific American''{{'}}s commitment to the column, it did make the editors reluctant to offer the column to another amateur scientist. The magazine invited a number of potential columnists to submit articles, some of which it published. But ''Scientific American'' was unable to find anyone with both professional credentials and the breadth of scientific interests necessary to recapture the popularity the column enjoyed under Stong and Ingalls. Without a regular columnist, the department languished, appearing only sporadically between 1990 and 1995.
 ==Shawn Carlson==
-In [[1995]] Scientific American discovered the [[Society for Amateur Scientists]]. Its founder and Executive Director, Shawn Carlson, Ph. D, was a physicist and established science writer who had left academe a year earlier to devote his career to helping amateur scientists. Dr. Carlson took over the column in November of that year and immediately returned its focus to cutting-edge science projects that amateurs can do inexpensively at home. Over 1 million Scientific American readers turned to "The Amateur Scientist" every month. In [[1999]], Carlson became the first person to ever win a [[MacArthur Fellowship]] for science education. (A distinction that he still holds in [[2007]].) Carlson won the award in part for the innovative projects he developed and published in "The Amateur Scientist".
+In 1995 ''Scientific American'' discovered the [[Society for Amateur Scientists]]. Its executive director, [[Shawn Carlson]], Ph.D., was a physicist and established science writer who had left academe a year earlier to devote his career to advancing amateur science. Dr. Carlson took over the column in November of that year and immediately returned its focus to cutting-edge science projects that amateurs can do inexpensively at home. Over one million ''Scientific American'' readers turned to "The Amateur Scientist" every month. In 1999, Carlson won a [[MacArthur Fellowship]] for science education in part for the innovative projects he developed for "The Amateur Scientist".
-In [[2001]], Scientific American came under new management. As part of a "face lift" of the magazine, all of the long-running columns were retired, including "The Amateur Scientist". March [[2001]] was the last time the column ran in Scientific American.
+In 2001, ''Scientific American'' came under new management. As part of a redesign of the magazine, all of the long-running columns were retired, including "The Amateur Scientist". March 2001 was the last time the column ran in ''Scientific American''.  Archived versions of the column remained available to Scientific American paid subscribers via their website.
-To keep the material available to future generations of science fair students, as well as amateur and professional scientists, Carlson created ''The Amateur Scientist--The Complete Collection''--a [[CD-ROM]] containing all the articles in a fully-text searchable [[HTML]] format. As of [[2006]], the entire collection of articles is available from [http://www.brightscience.com "Dr. Shawn's Science Projects"]. Individual [http://www.scifair.org science projects] from the collection, adapted for teachers and science fair students, can be downloaded from [http://www.scifair.org Dr. Shawn's Super Science Project Support Site]
+Carlson, along with co-editor Sheldon Greaves, Ph.D., created ''The Amateur Scientist-The Complete Collection'', a [[CD-ROM]] containing all the articles in a fully text-searchable [[HTML]] format.
+==Online back-issues and CD-ROM==
+Sometime after 2007 the ''Scientific American'' removed the subscriber-only requirement for certain years of the magazine, making "The Amateur Scientist" column for 1999-2001 available online.
+==References==
+{{reflist}}
-"Dr." Shawn is not a good man. He recently came to Aurora, IL to take the position of executive director of Scitech Hands on Children's Science Museum. He lived out of his car for at least a week and a half while going around during the day talking to staff seeing how the place ran. He seemed like he cared, but the very day he became director he accused several people of sleeping around and fired half the staff. He also refered to himself as the "GOD" (direct quote) of the museum and moved his office from the main level to the highest level of the building. Psychology? He has taken what was a great place for children and a wonderful and fun place to work, and turned it into a place for ONLY him and his society. Please do not support this man or the museum any longer. Send him a message saying that you can't come in a destroy parts of Aurora and it's history and you can't take a wonderful learning environment away from our children!!!!!
 ==External links==
+*[http://amasci.com/amateur/sciam1.html Online columns via sciam.com and others, 1996-2001]
-*[http://www.sas.org The Society for Amateur Scientists]
+*[http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/000215.php Review of CD-ROM and book at Cool Tools]
+{{Science and the public}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Amateur Scientist, The}}
-[[Category:American magazines]]
+[[Category:Scientific American articles]]
-[[Category:Science and technology magazines]]
+[[Category:Citizen science]]