Document Type
Oral History
Publication Date
6-8-2005
Biography
Donald Christian Griffin came to Rollins College in 1960 as a student and returned in 1970 as a professor. He has spent most of his life at Rollins, where he has instructed students in physics, served in administrative positions, and received numerous honors.
Griffin was born on April 27, 1942, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied at Rollins College, majoring in physics, receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1964. From Purdue University, Griffin received his master’s degree in 1966 and his doctorate in 1970.
Since joining the Rollins College faculty in 1970, Griffin has not only taught courses in physics, but also found time to do research and publication. He has participated in research at Los Alamos, Livermore, and Oak Ridge, just to name a few, and has published 167 articles and composed forty-six invited papers. Griffin has not only served Rollins as a member of the faculty, but also as vice provost, acting provost, and interim dean of the faculty.
Throughout his Rollins career, Griffin has been recognized with several awards, including the Archibald Granville Bush Professorship of Science, the Rollins Decoration of Honor (2001), and the Bornstein Award for Faculty Scholarship (2004). He is a member of two honor societies: Sigma Pi Sigma and Sigma Xi. He is also a fellow of the Physical Society of America and the European Institute of Physics.
His primary areas of teaching are: quantum mechanics, mechanics, principles of physics, general physics, physical science, and modern physics. His research is in theoretical and computational atomic structure and atomic scattering
Recommended Citation
Griffin, Donald and Zhang, Wenxian, "Oral History Interview with Dr. Donald Griffin" (2005). Oral Histories. 8.
https://scholarship.rollins.edu/oralhist/8
Griffen discusses his view of the college from being a student and then later a faculty member
Griffin2.mp3 (2161 kB)
Griffen discusses his view of the faculty structure over the years
Griffin3.mp3 (1877 kB)
Griffen discusses some courses have you taught over the years
Griffin4.mp3 (2310 kB)
Griffin discusses doing research at Los Alamos Laboratories
Griffin5.mp3 (2490 kB)
Griffen recalls some students that he will always remember