Charles Smith
Professor of Physics

Professor Charles (Skip) Smith is completing an extremely successful 40 year career at the University of Maine. Charles came to us from Ohio University, where he had earned his Ph.D. in Experimental Physics. He has had over 70 peer-reviewed papers published, primarily covering a range of topics in condensed matter experimentation, and recently emphasizing point contact spectroscopy and low temperature physics, and superconductivity. He has also applied his condensed-matter expertise to the popular realm of numismatics, with several publications in that subject. He has mentored sixteen graduate students in thesis work in experimental condensed matter physics.

In 1975 Charles received the University Excellence in Teaching Award in the Physical Sciences. In 1978 he was selected as the Distinguished Maine Professor. He was made a Wolfson Scholar at Oxford for 1992-1993. He has twice been given the College of Engineering Dean’s Award for Excellence.

Charles’ ability, enthusiasm and commitment to teaching will be sorely missed. For 36 of his 40 UMaine years, he has been lecturer and coordinator of the Introductory Physics for Engineers and Physical Scientists course sequence, now with roughly 200 students per semester and several TAs to train and supervise. He has also taught a variety of courses for our Physics majors, such as Condensed Matter Physics and the Physics of Materials. He has been a great teacher for over 9,500 University students.

Charles served for six years as department chair, a truly major and highly appreciated contribution to the department and the university, and he did it with flare and effectiveness – the quintessential physics department chair. His other service contributions to the department have been legion.

Congratulations, Skip, on a great career, and best wishes for your retirement years.