Morris Meister
Morris Meister | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 20, 1895 |
| Died | August 10, 1975 (aged 79) |
| Education | City College of New York Columbia University |
| Notable work | Science for a Better World series of textbooks |
| Spouse | Florence Suzi Glickstein Meister[1] |
| Children | 2, Anna Meister Burton, a psychoanalyst, and Alton Meister, noted bio-chemist |
| Academic background | |
| Thesis | The Educational Value of Certain After-school Materials and Activities in Science (1921) |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Bronx Community College, Bronx High School of Science, New York Hall of Science |
| Notes | |
Morris Meister (1895 - 1975) was a science educator and administrator who was the founder and first principal of the Bronx High School of Science as well as the first president of Bronx Community College.[3][4] He is noteworthy for his support and application of laboratory-based methods in science education as well as interdisciplinary study.
Early life and education
[edit]Morris Meister was born on October 20, 1895, in Gonietz, Poland to Harris Meister and Jennie (Kolovsky) Meister. The Meister family moved to Manhattan's Lower East Side when Morris was 7 years old.[4][2] He attended the City College of New York, where he became a member of Phi Beta Kappa. His doctoral thesis at the Teachers College of Columbia University in 1921, The Educational Value of Certain After-school Materials and Activities in Science, focused on the role of science related toys in science education.[5][2][6]
Meister married Florence Suzi Glickstein, a music teacher, in 1921.[4] They had two children, Anna Meister Burton, a psychoanalyst, and Alton Meister, a noted biochemist.[1]
Career
[edit]Morris Meister worked as a science teacher in a number of schools in New York City including Stuyvesant High School (1916), The Speyer School (1916-1918), Horace Mann School (1917-1922). He was instrumental in the creation of science fairs while working as a committee head of the American Institute of the City of New York in the 1932s.[5] He served as the second president of the National Science Teachers Association.[7][2] Meiseter wrote a series of science textbooks called Science for a Better World.[2] Meister was the founding principal of the Bronx High School of Science from 1938 to 1958.[2] He was the founding president of the Bronx Community College from 1959 to 1966.[8] After retirement he worked as the director of planning at the New York Hall of Science, in Corona, Queens. .[2][9][10]
Legacy
[edit]Meister Auditorium, the Auditorium of the Bronx High School of Science, is named after Dr. Meister. His portrait is displayed at its doors.
Meister Hall, a building on the campus of Bronx Community College, is named after Dr. Meister.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Mrs. Morris Meister". The New York Times. 12 March 1974. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Thomas, Robert McG. Jr. (11 August 1975). "Dr. Morris Meister, Founder Of High School of Science, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Bronx Community College (17 September 2006). "History & Architecture". Bronx Community College. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ a b c "Morris Meister". Science Education. 50 (5): 401–406. December 1966. Bibcode:1966SciEd..50..401.. doi:10.1002/sce.3730500502. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ a b Grinnell, Frederick (26 May 2020). "Reinventing Science Fairs | Issues in Science and Technology". Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Meister, Morris. "The Educational Value of Certain After-school Materials and Activities in ... : Morris Meister : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ "Morris Meister: portrait of a science educator". The Science Teacher. 43 (2): 43. 1976. JSTOR 24127703. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ "History of the College". Bronx Community College. 17 September 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-02-07. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "Current Science: November 2, 1966". NYSCI. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ Meister, Morris (December 1966). "A college program for the disadvantaged". Science Education. 50 (5): 406–408. Bibcode:1966SciEd..50..406M. doi:10.1002/sce.3730500503. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- American school principals
- The Bronx High School of Science
- Heads of universities and colleges in the United States
- Bronx Community College faculty
- Teachers College, Columbia University alumni
- City College of New York alumni
- New York Hall of Science
- Presidents of Bronx Community College
- 1895 births
- 1975 deaths