Amos Eaton–May 17, 1776

Amos Eaton, a co-founder of the Renssalaer School (later Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute) in Troy, NY, managed to flip scientific thinking on its head. He believed in having students learn through experimental demonstrations: let them apply the science in the field and then break it down later in the lab. This flew directly in the face of the traditional liberal arts tradition, which involved the classics, theology, lecture and recitation. However, it also led to more students in more courses of study to take up some version of a practicum than there previously was. In addition to teaching at the school, Eaton also engaged in natural philosophy lectures throughout the Northeastern United States, and was a champion of higher education for women, suggesting that women had a lack of opportunity to learn higher-end math, rather than a skills deficit or general disinclination. (i.e., quit blaming the women.) Nowadays there’s an Amos Eaton Hall on the school’s campus, which houses the Math Department, and a faculty endowment bears his name. The post Amos Eaton–May 17, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.