Clarence Zener

Clarence Zener
Clarence Zener
Born	Clarence Melvin Zener; December 1, 1905; Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Died	July 2, 1993 (aged 87); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma mater	Harvard University (PhD)
Known for	Zener effect (1934); Work on thermoelastic damping (1937);
Relatives	Karl Zener (brother)
Awards	Bingham Medal (1957); John Price Wetherill Medal (1959);
	Scientific career
Fields	Physics
Institutions	See list University of Bristol ; (1932–1934) ; Washington University in St. Louis (1935–1937) ; City College of New York (1937–1940) ; Washington State University (1940–1942) ; Watertown Arsenal ; (1942–1945) ; University of Chicago ; (1945–1951) ; Westinghouse Electric Corporation (1951–1965) ; Texas A&M University ; (1966–1968) ; Carnegie Mellon University (1968–1993) ;
Thesis	Quantum Mechanics of the Formation of Certain Types of Diatomic Molecules (1929)
Doctoral advisor	Edwin Kemble
Doctoral students	John B. Goodenough (1952)

Clarence Melvin Zener (/ˈziːnər/ ZEE-ner; December 1, 1905 – July 2, 1993) was an American physicist who in 1934 was the first to describe the property concerning the breakdown of electrical insulators. These findings were later exploited by Bell Labs in the development of the Zener diode, which was duly named after him.

Zener was also a theoretical physicist with a background in mathematics who conducted research in a wide range of subjects including: superconductivity, metallurgy, ferromagnetism, elasticity, fracture mechanics, diffusion, and geometric programming.

Clarence Zener
Born	Clarence Melvin Zener (1905-12-01)December 1, 1905 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Died	July 2, 1993(1993-07-02) (aged 87) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma mater	Harvard University (PhD)
Known for	Zener effect (1934) Work on thermoelastic damping (1937)
Relatives	Karl Zener (brother)
Awards	Bingham Medal (1957) John Price Wetherill Medal (1959)
Scientific career
Fields	Physics
Institutions	See list University of Bristol (1932–1934) Washington University in St. Louis (1935–1937) City College of New York (1937–1940) Washington State University (1940–1942) Watertown Arsenal (1942–1945) University of Chicago (1945–1951) Westinghouse Electric Corporation (1951–1965) Texas A&M University (1966–1968) Carnegie Mellon University (1968–1993)
Thesis	Quantum Mechanics of the Formation of Certain Types of Diatomic Molecules (1929)
Doctoral advisor	Edwin Kemble
Doctoral students	John B. Goodenough (1952)