The Papers of Jan Schilt
Collection Description
Date Range: 1931-1963.
Size of Collection: 23.5 linear ft (ca.13,500 items in 27 boxes).
Date of Acquisition: Transfer from the Physics Department, 1992.
Astronomer and administrator. Schilt was Rutherford Professor
Emeritus
at
Columbia, invented the Schilt photometer, and helped clarify the
motions
of
stars in the Milky Way. He was director of the Yale-Columbia Southern
Station
in Johannesburg and Canberra, Australia. He served as chairperson of
Columbia's department of astronomy from 1936 until 1962.
Collection consists of Schilt's correspondence as chairperson
of
Columbia's department of astronomy and director of the Yale-Columbia
Southern
Station as well as the Rutherford Observatory at Columbia. The majority
of
arranged office files are comprised of memoranda, documents, some
departmental
correspondence, committee reports, course material including material for
student laboratory exercises. Thers is also a small sampling of Schilt's
early notes as a student and reports of oo-site testing done under the
auspices of the National Science Foundation.
Permission to quote or
publish must be obtained in writing from the Director of The Rare Book and
Manuscript Library.
Boxes 1-9
- 1930 - 1960
Boxes 10-11
- 1960s
Boxes 12-20
- Committees & course
materials
Boxes 12-13
- Some 1930s, mostly early
1960s
Boxes 14-20
- Early 1960's
Boxes 21-24
- Lab materials (graphs,
maps, tables and materials for lab exercises)
Box 25
- Early notes of Schilt
Boxes 26-27
- Off-site testing, National
Science Foundation
BIOGRAPHY