was perhaps the greatest U.S. scientist before 1900. Although not understood or appreciated by his contemporaries, Gibbs made important contributions to the science of thermodynamics. Thermodynamics deals with forms of energy and conversion of energy from one form to another. The principles of thermodynamics can be applied to many uses. One use is the study of efficiency in machines. Another application of thermodynamics is the calculation of energy loss or gain in chemical reactions.
Gibbs applied the principles of thermodynamics to physical chemistry. His work in this field has earned him the nickname, "the father of modern physical chemistry." One of Gibbs' most important contributions was his formulation of the phase rule. This is a logical description of the physical relationships among the different states of a substance, such as water, ice, and water vapor. Gibbs' most famous written work is On the Equilibrium ofHeterogeneous Substances, published between 1875 and 1878 in the Transactions of the Connecticut Academy One of the great scientists of the age, physicist James Clerk Maxwell in England, recognized Josiah Gibbs' genius. But few Americans thought highly of him. Josiah Gibbs was born into an academic New England family. His father was a professor at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut Josiah himself attended Yale University and in 1863 won the first doctorate of engineering awarded in the United States. After ex tended travels in Europe in the late 1860's, Gibbs returned to a professorship at Yale. There he spent the remaining years of his professional life.
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