COSAM » News » Journey » Journey 2018 » Dean Named Distinguished Alumnus
Dean Named Distinguished Alumnus
College of Sciences and Mathematics Dean Nicholas Giordano was named the 2018 College of Science Distinguished Alumnus at his alma mater, Purdue University.
Giordano received a bachelor of science in physics from Purdue University before pursuing his doctorate in engineering and applied sciences from Yale University. He is an expert in nanoscale physics, musical acoustics and the physics of musical instruments, and a fellow of the American Physical Society. Prior to joining the Auburn Family as dean of COSAM in 2013, Giordano served as head of the Department of Physics at Purdue from 2007 to 2013.
An expert in nanoscale physics, musical acoustics, and the physics of musical instruments, Giordano serves as dean of COSAM and teaches physics at Auburn, an appointment that began in 2013 after a long career of distinction on the physics faculty at Purdue.
“Nick Giordano was an undergraduate in our department and returned as a faculty member in 1979,” said John Finley, head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Purdue. “He was a well-recognized leader in the research area, then called mesoscopic physics, which led directly to the field of nanophysics that has received so much attention lately. He also pursued interests in the physics of musical instruments, originally the piano and lately the recorder. Nick is a recognized and well-respected researcher in the condensed matter field, winning numerous awards. Nick has also been a selfless and generous benefactor of our department over the years. The department has been grateful for his intellectual contributions, his leadership, and his philanthropic largesse and for those reasons we were honored that Nick accepted our distinguished alumni award.”
Giordano returned to his alma mater in 1979 as an assistant professor after serving on the faculty at Yale University. While at Yale, Giordano began exploring mesoscopic, or nanoscale, metal structures — a research interest he pursued for 25 years, and which led to his selection as a fellow of the American Physical Society.
In 2004, Giordano became the Hubert James Distinguished Professor of Physics at Purdue, and in 2007, he began his tenure as head of the Department of Physics. He has published more than 150 scientific papers, and is equally devoted to his research and to science education in general. Giordano counts mentoring students and young faculty among the greatest rewards of being a faculty member. He is the author of three pedagogical books: Computational Physics with coauthor Hisao Nakanish; College Physics, Reasoning and Relationships; and Physics of the Piano.
Dean Giordano’s Career Highlights include:
- Fellow of the American Physical Society, 1991
- Recipient of the McCoy Award, 1992, and the Murphy Award, 1993, Purdue University
- Indiana Professor Year, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 2004
- Head, Department of Physics, Purdue University, 2007–2013
- Dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, Auburn University, 2013–present
Last Updated: 10/12/2018