The Physics of Success

Baumans Create Endowed Scholarship

Robert and Edith Bauman with Lowell Wenger

Robert P. Bauman, Ph.D., and his wife, Edith, have generously given funds to establish an endowed scholarship in the Department of Physics. The Robert and Edith Bauman Endowed Scholarship in Physics pays tribute to their exemplary generosity, support, and service to UAB and especially the Department of Physics.

Dr. Bauman received a B.S. in chemistry and physics and an M.S. in physical chemistry from Purdue University. After earning his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Pittsburgh in 1954, he taught in the Department of Chemistry at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now the Polytechnic Institute of New York University) for 13 years. In 1967, Bauman joined UAB as professor and chairman of the Department of Physics. For the next 25 years, until he was named professor emeritus following his retirement in 1992, he made immeasurable contributions to the growth and development of the department, hiring key faculty and establishing a graduate and doctoral program in physics. Highly regarded by his peers throughout the nation, Dr. Bauman served as chairman, section representative, and president of the American Association of Physics Teachers as well as a member of the Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics.

Lowell Wenger, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Physics and former dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, says, “The generosity of Robert and his wife, Edith, in establishing an endowed scholarship in their names will not only honor their many contributions to the department, but will also allow the department to recruit additional bright young physics students to the program to pursue their academic dreams.”

Dr. and Mrs. Bauman have been strong supporters of the arts in Birmingham, including the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Opera Birmingham, and the Birmingham Ballet. For many years they appeared in productions of the Town and Gown Theater and were leaders in the Birmingham Concert Chorale. They are proud season ticket holders for UAB basketball and UAB football.

The Baumans have long recognized the importance of education and, in particular, the critical role of physics as the fundamental science and basis for much of the innovation that has transformed our civilization and economy over the last century. “We anticipate that the scholarship funds will provide help to promising students and thus aid the larger community,” Dr. Bauman adds.

Maintaining the Momentum / Winter/Spring 2010