Mark D. Semon, PhD

Originally intending to study English or philosophy, Mark D. Semon’s mind was boggled upon taking a required theory of relativity course. Intrigued by the concepts of motion, energy and matter, he switched his path and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in physics, magna cum laude, from Colgate University in 1971. In the early years of his career, Dr. Semon was a research assistant at the Kitt Peak National Observatory and Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1970 and 1974, respectively, as well as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow in 1971. Continuing his education, he matriculated at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he achieved a Master of Science in physics in 1973 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1976. Additionally, he studied at the Imperial College London for one year.

Having accrued nearly five decades of professional experience, Dr. Semon attained the title of professor emeritus from Bates College in Maine in 2017. Initially joining the institution in 1976, he served as an assistant professor until 1983, associate professor until 1988 and full professor of physics for 29 years, with 41 years in total. Simultaneously, he had been a visiting professor at Amherst College in 1989 and 1990. Alongside his role in education, Dr. Semon is renowned for his innovations, including a new interpretation of the electromagnetic vector potential and new geometric model of velocity addition in special relativity, simplified derivation of Thomas precession and discussion of its experimental confirmations.

A grantee of the National Science Foundation in 1980, Dr. Semon currently maintains affiliation with the American Physical Society, American Academy of Forensic Scientists, American Association of Physics Teachers, American College of Forensic Examiners, Council of Undergraduate Research and Society of Woodrow Wilson Fellows. Having contributed numerous articles to professional journals, he is the author of various written works and sat on the editorial advisory board for the American Journal of Physics from 2011 to 2014. Likewise, he has been a referee to the Foundation of Physics, American Journal of Physics, Canadian Journal of Physics and Chinese Journal of Physics.

In his retirement, Dr. Semon has dedicated his days to ranching and farming at Farm-The Center. He sells cattle, eggs, and hay, which is the biggest cash crop, and also tends to his beef cattle, cow and chickens. He also enjoys playing the banjo and guitar. Looking ahead, Dr. Semon envisions himself still actively following research within the field and evaluating future manuscripts, such as the electrodynamics book he recently completed. Reflecting on his illustrious career, he is most fond of teaching and working with senior thesis students. He thanks his mentor, John R. Taylor, for his inspiration, patience and impeccable explanations over the years.