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UM Physics Research Lab Named After Alum, Professor, Leader, Pioneer
UM Physics Research Lab Named After Alum, Professor, Leader, Pioneer
Homer A. Neal at a "Physics Today" roundtable (November 1991) by Scavone Photography, courtesy of AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Physics Today Collection.
by Haven Glover
History has been in the making at 450 Church Street. Here, the University of Michigan’s physics department contributes to particle physics experiments for some of the world's leading research centers (“Elementary Particle Physics”). While impressive, the department’s most immediate achievements stem from recognizing the man who first brought these experiments to Michigan: Homer A. Neal (Gerdes).
In 2023, the new addition to the physics building at 450 Church Street was named the Homer A. Neal Laboratory, becoming “the first academic building on Central Campus to be named after a Black community member” (“Homer A. Neal Laboratory”). The lab is a new part of the Harrison M. Randall Lab, named after another UM scientist and pioneer.
During his life, Neal broke many barriers, including becoming the first Black president of the American Physical Society (APS) in 2016 (Gerdes). He faced difficulty on his journey to such success. Neal grew up in segregated Kentucky, with separate schools and doctors office waiting rooms (Conover). As a child, he developed a friendship with another boy over an interest in amateur radio development, but was forced by townspeople to end this relationship because they were different races (Conover). Neal stated in a 2016 interview with APS that, “it did teach me that basically when individuals are working on a scientific project together, the color of one’s skin doesn’t matter. It mattered to others, but it didn’t matter to us."
Perhaps in search of such an escape from segregation, Neal pursued a career in science and particle physics. He earned a BA from Indiana University and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1966 (Gerdes). He eventually returned to his alma mater becoming a Michigan physics professor and department chair in 1987, before advancing to the role of a research vice president in 1993, and in 1996 he served UM as the interim president of the university (Gerdes). During this time, Neal also contributed to the CERN Atlas program and FermiLab DZero Collaboration, playing a vital role in the discoveries of the top quark (1995) and Higgs Boson (2012) (Gerdes).
Outside of Homer A. Neal Laboratory, September 20, 2024, by Haven Glover.
Laser Containment Room Inside Homer A. Neal Laboratory, September 20, 2024, by Haven Glover.
Homer A. Neal’s academic success is astounding, as if he were “made for” such achievements; the Latin proverb, nomen est omen, suggests that maybe Neal’s name was an indicator of his destiny. One hundred gallons, a pigeon, and hitting a home run are all definitions of the English word homer (“Homer”). The name Homer translates from the ancient Greek τυφ𝝀óς, or hômeros, meaning “hostage” or “blind” (“Oμηρоς”;“Τυφ𝝀óς”). Oμηρоς was one of the top 800 most frequently written ancient Greek words, appearing in texts such as Histories by Polybius and Pyrrhus by Plutarch, (“Oμηρоς”; “Word Frequency for Oμηρоς”). The use of Oμηρоς by scholars such as the philosopher Plato, geographer Strabo, and teacher Philostratus the Athenian further demonstrate the frequency and academia of Homer (“Word Frequency for Oμηρоς”). Indeed, it seems as though the name’s robust academic history “predestined” the young Homer A. Neal to a life of greatness and revolution — both intellectually and socially — as a Black physicist at the University of Michigan.
Works Cited
Conover, Emily. “2016 APS President - Homer Neal.” APS125, www.aps.org/archives/publications/apsnews/201602/homer-neal.cfm. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.
“Elementary Particle Physics.” LSA Physics, University of Michigan, lsa.umich.edu/physics/research/elementary-particle-physics.html. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.
Gerdes, David. “U-M Renames Randall Laboratory Addition After Pioneering Physicist Homer A. Neal.” LSA Physics, University of Michigan, lsa.umich.edu/physics/news-events/all-news/search-news/u-m-renames-randall-laboratory-addition-after-our-late-pioneerin.html. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
Glover, Haven. Photograph of exterior of Homer A. Neal Laboratory. 2024. Author's personal collection.
Glover, Haven. Photograph of laser containment room in Homer A. Neal Laboratory. 2024. Author's personal collection.
“Homer.” Mirriam Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homer. Accessed 29 Sep. 2024.
“Homer A. Neal Laboratory Dedication.” The University Record, University of Michigan, 15 Apr. 2023, record.umich.edu/articles/homer-a-neal-laboratory-dedication/. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
“Oμηρоς.” Logeion, logeion.uchicago.edu/%E1%BD%8D%CE%BC%CE%B7%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%82.
Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
Scavone Photography. "Homer Neal at Physics Today Roundtable." 1991. American Institute of Physics, https://repository.aip.org/islandora/object/nbla%3A307582, Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
“Τυφ𝝀óς.” Logeion, University of Chicago, logeion.uchicago.edu/%CF%84%CF%85%CF%86%CE%BB%CF%8C%CF%82. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
“Word Frequency for Oμηρоς.” Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, perseus.tufts.edu/hopper//wordfreq?lang=greek&lookup=*(%2Fomhros. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
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