Biographical Note

Jonathan F. Reichert, born August 29, 1931 in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a professor emeritus in physics at the University at Buffalo. Throughout his career, Reichert has held strong interests in solid state experimental physics, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and undergraduate education.

He received a B.S. in Physics from the Case Institute of Technology in 1953, and went on to receive his Ph.D. in the same field from Washington University in St. Louis in 1962. After completing a postdoctoral research fellowship at Harvard University, Reichert transitioned into a career in academia, becoming an Assistant Professor at Western Research University in 1965. Reichert held a variety of professorships, becoming assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University in 1968 before accepting a position as associate professor at UB in 1970.

In 1973, Reichert achieved tenure at UB, where he held a variety of major university responsibilities and chaired a variety of committees. Most notably, he questioned the structure of the introductory physics course, helped develop UB's General Education Program, instituted and chaired "Physics in the 80s" lecture series, developed the "innovations in Science" program, and developed undergraduate laboratories, including the UB Physics Shops. Reichert also developed TeachSpin, Inc. in 1992, which provides instruments and courses to physics instructors, and began the Jonathan F. Reichert Foundation in 2014 to help fund and furnish laboratory programs.

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