Professional Experience

Jim & Rhoda Morris  Co-Owners

Antiques of Science and Technology
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Some of the Laboratory apparatus used in our Plasma Physics/Chemistry work.

Summary 

Jim has worked in the fields of physics and chemistry for more than  50 years, 20  in basic research, 20 plus years in applied research and product development. Rhoda has worked in basic research for 10 years and 30 years in  plasma physics, chemistry and manufacturing of photographic products. For the last several years Rhoda has taught collage chemistry and  co-owned with  Jim  a business  Collecting, buying,  selling scientific and engineering works of Art. We also work with the Media  as science advisors and as a source of antique instruments of science and engineering  for  TV shows (NOVA, Discovery and science channels etc.). We also work with authors of books on the history of science, set designers of science displays in museums. When instrument are not available We make them. We also help, the actors, directors, producers, and crew learn how to use the instrument.
 


Below Follows a Detail History of Professional Experience  in Science and Engineering Including a Selection of Papers, Books, TV/Movies, Patents and Professional Societies.

 

Jim Basic Research 1955 to 1972

Jim's research work had been sufficiently original, timely and useful to permit him to be elected as a member of the executive committee for the American Physical Societies Gaseous Electronics Conference and to be voted as the chairman of the Arc Symposium Committee. Jim also had been included as one of the participants in the Department of Air Force's Data Exchange Agreement made between the German Ministry of Defense and the Department of Defense U.S.A.  Every major university and research laboratory in this country and overseas that was doing serious work in plasma spectroscopy had asked either to be put on his distribution list for reprints and papers covering his research or requested individual reprints. The level and amount of  research had given Jim  the opportunity to review scientific papers for the Physical Review, Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, Review of Scientific Instruments, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Journal of Geophysical Research, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Applied Optics.  Jim has authored and coauthored proposals to government agencies outlining research work sufficiently original and well planned to be awarded 10 million, current, dollars worth of contractual work over his career.


Jim Illinois Institute of Technology.  1955 to 1959.

Research assistant to Assistant Physicist. Jim worked in the Optics section where my activities centered around planning and performing experiments to measure the thermal radiation properties of metals and dielectrics.  Specifically these measurements were to determine the total and spectral emissivity and solar absorptivity.  Jim designed and operated equipment to measure the spectral and total emissivities for temperatures from the boiling point of liquid nitrogen to the melting point of the material under study.  Jim also made measurements of the temperature dependence of the  complex index of refraction of tungsten up to 2000°K.  In addition, Jim contributed to infrared guided missile programs where the  interest was in building target simulators, also in counter measure efforts  studying short lived pyrotechnic flares.  Through these projects Jim gained a substantial background in physical and applied optics, and visible and infra  red photometry.

 

Jim University of Chicago.  1959 to 1961.

Assistant Physicist up to Staff member. At the Laboratories for Applied Sciences, Jim directed the efforts of 15 to 20 professionals, technicians and machinist and carried out spectroscopic diagnostic studies of the plasmas that were being used for material evaluations and MHD devices.  Initially, these studies were temperature measurements and evaluations of conditions of equilibrium.  Jim was later responsible for the study of a magnetically collimated arc which was identical to the type used in the DCX thermonuclear experiments at Oak Ridge.  The goal for this project was to reach an understanding of the "Physics" of this type of arc and to obtain a sufficient amount of information about individual arcs to allow a proper  selection of one which would be most suitable for the DCX project.  This work included measuring the translational and thermal velocities of the ions in the arc column with line shifts and shapes.  Jim evaluated the excitation temperatures from line intensities, determined the electron and ion temperatures using Langmuir probes and made mass spectrometric determinations of the density ratio of the various ions present.  'While at the university, Jim continued some of my emissivity measurements begun at Illinois Institute of Technology.  These studies were made for heat shield materials of space reentry vehicles.  Jim also did some arc electrode development work for high powered electric arcs.

 

Jim & Rhoda AVCO Corporation, Wilmington, Massachusetts.  1961 to 1971

Staff Scientist up to Group leader and. Senior Consulting Scientist. At AVCO, Jim organized a group of 4 to 8 physicists and chemists to do research work in low temperature plasma physics.  Jim funded this group by originating and submitting proposals of research to Air Force and NASA agencies.  In performing this research Jim  planned the efforts, actively participating in every aspect of the research from designing equipment, building it, operating it, to reducing data and writing reports and papers.  The output of these efforts resulted not only in contributions to the scientific literature but to the engineering community as well. The topics of this research centered around radiation and thermal properties of partially ionized nitrogen, oxygen, air, argon and hydrogen.  For the radiation studies Jim attacked the problem by establishing, with existing theories, the major radiating mechanisms.  Jim then designed experiments around constricted electric arc generated plasmas to obtain data to test the accuracy of these theories.  This required measurements of spectral line f values, widths, and or shapes, recombination and free free continuum cross sections.  These data had to be supported with temperature density and equilibrium measurements.  The wavelength regions used covered the far infrared to the vacuum ultraviolet.  For the latter wavelength region, Jim had aided in the pioneering efforts to establish the constricted arc as a useful plasma source for vacuum ultra violet radiation studies.  Jim have also contributed in a similar manner to establishing the use of pulsed arcs to reach high plasma temperatures. From an engineering point of view the radiation data were put into tabular form for predicting the radiation transfer or output for a large range of plasma conditions. Jim carried out work similar to the radiation studies for the electrical and thermal conductivities of partially ionized gases.  In this area, Jim was able to resolve the major differences that existed between theory and experiment and aided in establishing under what circumstance arcs could be useful plasma sources for determining thermal conductivities. Along with these programs, Jim contributed to the development and manufacture of high efficiency high intensity infrared lamps for military applications.  Concurrently,  Jim ran shock tube studies for the emissivity of molecular radiators in the far infrared.  Jim also had recently and independently developed spectrochemical apparatus and techniques for the detection and quantitative measurement of gases such as oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, as well as other elements whose spectral lines fall in the vacuum ultraviolet region of the spectrum.  Jim also had  developed an integrating sphere reflectometer for the far infra red, and a radiation standard for the vacuum ultraviolet. Incidentally the work supported the heat shield design for NASA's Apollo Moon program

 

Jim National Bureau of Standards 1971  1972

Group leader Plasma Physics brought in contracts from the Air force to look at the continuum and line radiation in the vacuum ultra violet. The production of a Mercury laser for the green portion of the spectrum. The electrical conductivity of  Mercury.  Jim developed a radiation  standard for the vacuum ultra violet using end on constricted electric arc technology

 

Jim General 'Telephone & Electronics Corp. for the industrial / commercial division Lighting division  1972 to 1993  

 

Experience in Applied Research Inventing and Product Development

Jim joined  GTE  Sylvania in 1971 as an engineering specialist in the physics laboratory at Danvers headquarters. Jim was appointed senior engineering specialist in 1972 and manager of the engineering, computer and math department in 1974. In 1975. Jim became manager for the new product support laboratory in Danvers headquarters   In 1979  Jim was appointment of manager of new Product development group for the General 'Telephone & Electronics Corp. for the industrial / commercial division Lighting division  Jim was awarded more than 20  patents won the highest company award for technical achievement including dozens of new products and major improvement of processing and manufacturing and in staff development where many of Jim's reports won companies awards for their contribution to the product lines.

 

 

Jim & Rhoda Antiques of Science and Technology 1995 to Present

 

Rhoda and Jim have had  ten years of experience as technical consultants and advisors to the media filming business on science related movies, books and television projects. We furnish and or build props, assist in the development of experiments, and train personnel in the operation of equipment and conducting technical experiments.  A major interest and concern of our work is to assist the director, actors and staff to produce accurate as well as interesting science scenes and enactments for their program.

 

Resources:

In the past 35 years we have developed a collection of over 2000 historical instruments and artifacts of science and technology.  Our resources also include a laboratory for conducting chemical, physics, and electronic experiments. We have a very complete shop for wood, glass, metal, and electronics fabrication and testing. Using his extensive experience in constructing experimental apparatus and product prototypes in 40 years of R&D, Jim has developed skills in restoring and replicating historically significant scientific instruments and devices. Our large number of diversified instruments, the knowledge gained in researching their history, a replication, fabrication and testing capability, and our 40 years of professional experience in science and industry enable us to offer what we believe is a valuable resources for the media in filming science and technology subjects.

 


 

Examples Technical Papers,Talks,U.S. Patents, Movies and, Books

 

With B. D. Schurin, SOME THERMAL RADIATION PROPERTIES OF METALS,

Bulletin of APS Series II, 2_, (1957).

 

With 0. H. Olson, SOLAR ABSORPTIVITY, BASED ON WEIGHTED ORDINATE

INTEGRATION, JOSA 47, 1048, (1957).

 

With B. D. Schurin and 0. H. Olson, METHOD FOR MEASURING TOTAL

EMISSIVITY AS A FUNCTION OF TEMPERATURE AND ANGLE, JOSA 4J, 34l,

(1957).^

 

With 0. H. Olson, TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF SPECTRAL EMISSIVITY

OF PLATINUM, RHODIUM, AND PALLADIUM, JOSA 4J, 1052, (1957).

 

With A. H. Thomas, and B. D. Schurin, A TEMPERATURE ERROR ASSOCIATED WITH EMBEDDED THERMOCOUPLES, Rev. Sci. Inst. 29, 1045, (1958)

.

With B. D. Schurin and O. H. Olson, THE TOTAL EMISSIVITY OF AIRCRAFT CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS SYMPOSIUM ON THERMAL PROPERTIES OF

GASES, LIQUIDS AND SOLIDS, ASME, (February 1959).

 

With 0. H. Olson, A METHOD OF MEASURING THE EMISSIVITIES OF

DIELECTRIC MATERIALS, JOSA 4j?, 509, (1959).

 

With P. J. Dickerman, EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF THE TEMPERATURE IN A FIELD FREE PLASMA, (Proceedings of the Symposium on Optical

Spectrometric Measurements of High Temperatures), University of

Chicago Press, (1960).

 

THE CONDITION OF EQUILIBRIUM IN THE STANDARD D-C IRON ARC, JOSA

50, 500, (I960).

 

THE ROLE OF OPTICS IN PLASMA RESEARCH, Research Invited paper by

the Chicago Optical Society, (May I960).

 

 COMMENTS ON THE MEASUREMENTS OF THE EMITTANCE OF THE GLOWBAR

 RADIATION SOURCE, JOSA , (l96l).

 

 COMPLEX REFRACTIVE INDEX OF TUNGSTEN AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES, JOSA,

 51,,  1471,  (l961).

 

With G. Bach, RESEARCH ON RADIATION FROM ARC HEATED PLASMA NITROGEN,

ARL Plasma Arc Seminar, (September 1962).

With B. D. Schurin, SOME THERMAL RADIATION PROPERTIES OF METALS,

Bulletin of APS Series II, 2_, (1957).

 

With 0. H. Olson, SOLAR ABSORPTIVITY, BASED ON WEIGHTED ORDINATE

INTEGRATION, JOSA 47, 1048, (1957).

 

With B. D. Schurin and 0. H. Olson, METHOD FOR MEASURING TOTAL

EMISSIVITY AS A FUNCTION OF TEMPERATURE AND ANGLE, JOSA 4J, 34l,

(1957).^

 

With 0. H. Olson, TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF SPECTRAL EMISSIVITY

OF PLATINUM, RHODIUM, AND PALLADIUM, JOSA 4J, 1052, (1957).

 

With A. H. Thomas, and B. D. Schurin, A TEMPERATURE ERROR ASSOCIATED
 WITH EMBEDDED THERMOCOUPLES, Rev. Sci. Inst. 29, 1045, (1958)

.

With B. D. Schurin and O. H. Olson, THE TOTAL EMISSIVITY OF AIRCRAFT
 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS SYMPOSIUM ON THERMAL PROPERTIES OF

GASES, LIQUIDS AND SOLIDS, ASME, (February 1959).

 

With O. H. Olson, A METHOD OF MEASURING THE EMISSIVITIES OF

DIELECTRIC MATERIALS, JOSA 4j?, 509, (1959).

 

With P. J. Dickerman, EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF THE TEMPERATURE IN

A FIELD FREE PLASMA, (Proceedings of the Symposium on Optical

Spectrometric Measurements of High Temperatures), University of

Chicago Press, (1960).

 

THE CONDITION OF EQUILIBRIUM IN THE STANDARD D-C IRON ARC, JOSA

50, 500, (I960).

 

THE ROLE OF OPTICS IN PLASMA RESEARCH, Research Invited paper by

the Chicago Optical Society, (May I960).

 

 COMMENTS ON THE MEASUREMENTS OF THE EMITTANCE OF THE GLOBA BAR

 RADIATION SOURCE, JOSA , (l96l).

 

 COMPLEX REFRACTIVE INDEX OF TUNGSTEN AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES, JOSA,

 51,,  1471,  (l961).

 

With G. Bach, RESEARCH ON RADIATION FROM ARC HEATED PLASMA:  NITROGEN,

 ARL Plasma Arc Seminar, (September 1962).

 

With R U. Krey/Morris  and R. L. Garrison, ON EQUILIBRIUM IN CONSTRICTED

ARGON ARCS USED TO TRANSITION PROBABILITY MEASUREMENTS, Meeting

of Plasma Physics Section of the APS, (November 1966).

 

THE ROLE OF VACUUM ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION TRANSFER IN HIGH PRESSURE

ARC COLUMNS, Invited paper presented by the Westinghouse Research

Laboratories, Pittsburgh, Pa., (Spring 1967).

 

With R. U. Krey/Morris  and R. L. Garrison, RADIATION STUDIES OF ARC HEATED

NITROGEN, OXYGEN, AND ARGON PLASMA, Final Report, ARL 68-0103, (May 1968). 

Contract No . AF33(6l5)-2976.

 

With R. P. Rudis and J. Yos, EVALUATION OF HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS

 TRANSPORT PROPERTIES, Final Report, AVSSD-o4l4-67-RR, (September

 

 1967).  Contract NASW-1188. With R. U. Krey and R. L. Garrison,

BRIM3STRAHIUNG AND RECOMBINATION RADIATION OF NEUTRAL AND

 IONIZED NITROGEN, Phys Rev. Vol. 100, 1&7, (1969).

 

 With R. L. Garrison, THE DC CONSTRICTED ARC AS A VACUUM ULTRAVIOLET

 RADIATION STANDARD IN THE 900 TO l800 A WAVELENGTH REGION, Presented

 at the Second International Conference on Vacuum Ultraviolet Radiation Physics

at Gatlinburg, Term., (May 1968).

 

With R. U. Krey/Morris EXPERIMENTAL TEST OF Hp STARK BROADENING THEORY AT

HIGH ELECTRON DENSITIES, Phys. Rev. Letters, Vol. 21, No. 15, 1043,

 

 (1968).  Also presented at the Gordon Conference on Spectral Line

 Shapes in Andover, New Hampshire, (July 15-19, 1968).

 

 With R. U. Krey/Morris EXPERIMENTAL TOTAL AND TOTAL LINE RADIATION OF

 NITROGEN OXYGEN, AND ARGON PLASMAS, Phys. Fluids, (June 1970).

 

 With R. U. Krey/Morris, ARGON CONTINUUM RADIATION, JQSRT, 9-1633, (1969).

 

 With R P  Rudis and J. Yos, MEASUREMENTS OF ELECTRICAL AND THERMAL

 CONDUCTIVITY OF HYDROGEN, NITROGEN, AND ARGON AT HIGH TEMPERATURES,

 Phys. Fluids, 13, 6o8, (1970).                                          \

 

 With R  L. Garrison, MEASUREMENT OF RADIATION EMITTED, F VALUES,

 AND STARK HALF WIDTHS FOR THE STRONG VACUUM ULTRAVIOLET LINES OF

 0I AND NI, Phys. Rev., 5-112, (1969).

 

 With R. L. Garrison, A RADIATION STANDARD FOR THE VACUUM ULTRA VIOLET,

JQSRT, 9-1407, (1969).

 

 With M  Dalton, THE EMESS.IVITY OF GLOBAR VERSUS TEMPERATURE FOR

USE IN TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENTS WITH AN OPTICAL PYROMETER, Applied

Optics, 8, 1737, (1969).

 

AN EMPIRICAL METHOD OF COMPARING AND PREDICTING THE AXIS

TEMPERATURE OF ARGON CONSTRICTED ARCS, JQSRT. 9-1629. (1969).

 

With R. U. Morris. MEASUREMENT OF LINE SHIFTS AND OF THE FREE

CONTINUUM OF ARGON FOR THE 2000°K TO 3000°K TEMPERATURE REGION. 
(Symposium on the phys. of High Pressure Arc). Meeting

with Gaseous Electronics Conference. Gatlinburg. Tenn. (October 1969)

.

With R. U. Morris. OBTAINING HIGH PLASMA TEMPERATURES USING

PULSED CONSTRICTED ARCS. Rev. Sci. Inst. 5_, 661 (1970) . 

presented at Arc Symposium. Gatlinburg, Tenn., (October 1969).

 

A SIMPLE ELECTROMECHANICAL SENSOR FOR POSITIONING AND HOLDING

APPLICATIONS, Rev. Sci. Inst. 41, 877.  (1970).

 

With R. U. Morris. RADIATION STUDIES OF ARC HEATED PLASMAS

ARL Final Report. ARL 70-0038. (January 1970).

 

THE VACUUM ULTRAVIOLET CONTINUUM OF DOUBLY IONIZED ARGON,

 (Second Arc Symposium) 23rd Annual Gaseous Electronics Conference.

 Hartford. Conn.,  (October 1970).

 

With R. U. Morris. MEASUREMENTS OF ELECTRON BROADENED WIDTHS

 OF ATOMIC NITROGEN LINES,  (Second Arc Symposium) 23rd Annual

Gaseous Electronics Conference, Hartford. Conn., (October 1970)

 

J. C. Morris with P. L. Patterson, LTE AND RELATIVE TRANSITION PROBABILITIES OF

ATOMIC SCANDIUM, presented at the Twenty-Fifth Annual Gaseous Electronics
Conference, London, Ontario, Canada.  (October 1972).

 

J. C. Morris and J. H. Walker, "Electron neutral Transport Cross Section of Mercury,"

J. Appl. Phys., V 44, No. 10, (October 1972).

 

J. C. Morris with P. J. Gardner, W. R. Watson, H. G. Silver and J. A. Scholz,

"A New Metal Halide Ultraviolet Curing Source", P 45-49, J of the IES, V 5 No. 1

(October 1975).

 

J. C. Morris with E. A. Dale, F. T. Ulrich, "Conversion of Incandescent Lanp Sockets

to Fluorescent in the Home Market", Ltg. Design and Appl., (March 1978), P 18-23.

 

J. C. Morris with W. M. Keefe, W. Walter, "Semi-empirical Model for the Electrical

Conductivity of the Scandium sodium Iodide Arc Lanp", J of  IES, (July

 

J.C. Morris A SOLAR GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR MODEL PLANES AND
SHIPS, American Modeler. (May 1959) .

 

J.C. Morris A HOME MADE FORGE FOR MELTING METALS. Popular Science,
(February 1959).
 

J. C. Morris USING A GRID DIP METER FOR FINDING HIDDEN METAL OBJECTS, Popular

Electronics, (1962).

 

J.C. Morris A SIMPLY CONSTRUCTED MILLING ATTACHMENT FOR METAL
LATHES. Popular Science. Spring 1971.

 

J.C. Morris Radio direction finding used to find Ships in distress with  Warren Andrews

presented to Coast Guard  Spring 1887

 

J.C. Morris Who Really invented Radio

 

J.C. Morris  Challenges in Accurately Replicating Historic Scientific Instruments and

Experiments for Educational Television Requirements.

Presented at the XXII Scientific Instrument Symposium Sept 2004 Newport News Virginia
 


Selection of U.S. Patents

PAT. NO.  Title

5,959,404  Starting aid for metal halide lamps 

5,323,091  Starting source for arc discharge lamps  6/21/1994

5,100,031  Method and apparatus for dosing and dispensing mercury into discharge lamps 6/21/1994 

5,003,214 Metal Halide Lamp Having Coating On The Arc Tube 3/26/1991

4,963,790  Low wattage metal halide discharge lamp  10/16/1990

4,859,899  Metal halide lamp having heat redistribution means  9/22/1989

4,850,500  Dimpled arc tube having no internal end pockets and a lamp employing same  7/25/1989

4,850,499  Method to reduce color temperature variation in metal halide arc tubes  7/25/1989

4,791,334  Metal halide lamp having heat redistribution means 

4,480,296 Two Filament Lamp For Automobile Headlight  10/30/1984

4,234,822 Control Circuit Providing Constant Power Source 11/18/1980

4,191,947 Intrusion Alarm System  3/4/1980

4,174,944 Single Lead Electrically Activated Flash Lamp  11/20/1979

4,158,878 Means For Electrically Contacting Flash Lamp Having External Conductive Coating  6/19/1979

4,170,769 Audio Detector Alarm  10/9/1979

4,119,888 Operating Circuit For Flash Lamp Directly Coupled To AC Source  10/10/1978

4,095,140 Trigger Circuit For Flash Lamp Directly Coupled To AC Source 6/13/1978

3,931,536  Efficiency arc discharge lamp  1/6/1976

 

 


Samples of TV  and Movies that we have contributor to with instruments and as scientific advisors

 

 Nova  Percy Julian Program

 Discovery: “Brilliant Minds: Secret of the Cosmos

 Unsolved History: Forensics in the White House

 NOVA  “The Science Odyssey

 The Spanish Prisoner

 The Golden Gate Bridge-The American Experience

 The Most Dangerous Woman in America: Typhoid Mary

 NOVA John Adams Project

 Alexander Graham Bell's 1881 efforts to help save President Garfield's Life (for the Japanese TV).

 Adolphus Washington Greely & His1881-1884 Lady Franklin Bay Expedition to the Artic

 


Books

 

Coauthor of
 

Title, Optical Spectrometric  Measurements of High Temperatures

J.C.Morris etal.

1960 U. Chicago Press

 

Title, Radiation Studies of Arc Heated Plasmas

With J.M. Yos

U.S. Department of Commerce

Dec 1971

 

Contributer to
 

Title, True Secrets of Washington, D.C. Revealed

2003 Eden Entertainment Limited, Inc.

 

Title, Using Technology to Study Cellular and Molecular Biology

Office of Science Education, NIH

 

Title Transmitter  Hunting Radio Direction Finding Simplified

J. D. Moell & T.N. Curlee  TAB books Blue Ridge Summit Pa. 1987

 

Society Memberships for Jim and or Rhoda

 

American Chemical Society

The Scientific Instrument Society of London

History of Science Society

The MIT Dibner Institute for History of Science and Technology

Antique Wireless Association

Morse telegraph club, among others