News and Obituaries of scientists
These people were not all members of the BCA and in some cases were not
crystallographers. However, their work contributed in some way to
crystallogrphic techniques.
Crystallographers obituaries are listed elsewhere
The good news is listed at the top of the file, last updated June 2001.
The
obituaries were last updated 17 Jan 2001.
There is a name index to everyone mentioned in this
file.
This page last updated 7 March 2002
Good News
New FRS announced in June 2001
Details of all the new Fellows of the Royal Society announced this month
can be found on their web site.
Those which may interest crystallographers are:
- Dr. Andrew Leslie is a Senior Scientist at the MRC Laboratory of
Molecular Biology, Cambridge. He has determined the atomic detail of a
number of biologically important structures and most recently solved the
structure of hepatitis B virus protein.
- Professor George Sheldrick is Professor of Structural Chemistry at the University of Gottingen and Director of the Institute fur Anorganische Chemie, Gottingen, Germany. He has been a major contributor to the field of chemical X-ray crystallography for the past three decades and developed the SHELX computer programs, for structure determination and refinement.
Queen's Birthday Honours 2001 Awards to Julia Higgins
Congratulations to Professor Julia Higgins OBE FRS, who became Dame Commander of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in 2001. Julia Higgins is Professor of Polymer Science in Imperial College. She also chairs the Athena project on women in science, engineering and technology (SET) in Higher Education in the UK, along with an impressive list of other responsibilities both to the SET community and for women in SET.
ESF Latsis prize 2000
The European Science Foundation Prize 2000 has been awarded to Ken Holmes.
British Council profiles June 2000
The British Council has launched new web pages - a series of profiles of leading UK women scientists and engineers. The women come from a wide variety of backgrounds and are intended as role models for girls and women considering a career in science, engineering and technology. All are known for excellence in their field and most are internationally recognised. Many are active in encouraging more women to enter the field.
Inevitably, the selection of a limited number is subjective and only scratches the surface of women's contributions to scientific discovery and engineering excellence. But it is hoped that these profiles will serve to encourage greater involvement of leading women scientists in international events on science.
Have a look at:
http://www.britcoun.org/science/science/personalities/text2/index.htm
Thos of interest to crystallographers are Janet Thornton (Birkbeck)
and Valerie Randle (Materials, Swansea)
NEW REPORT ON WOMEN IN PHYSICS
A new report "Women in Physics, 2000"
This recently published report from the American Institute of Physics
provides data on current and historic trends in the representation of women
in physics. Available at
their web site.
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New FRS announced in June 2000
Details of all the new Fellows of the Royal Society announced this month
can be found on their web site. Those which may interest crystallographers are:
- 3 from the MRC lab in Cambrisge, C.Chothia, M.Goedert, K.Nagai
- B.A.Joyce, Imperial College London
- T.V.Ramakrishnan, Indian Institue of Science, Bangalore
Queen's Birthday Honours 1999 Awards to Scientists
- Dr. Andrew Dawson Taylor, Director and Head, ISIS Facility was awarded an OBE (Officer of The Order of the British Empire) for services to Neutron Scattering in The Queen's Birthday Honours, 12th June, 1999. The orders are now awarded mainly to civilians and service personnel for public service and other distinctions.
- Sir Brian Edward Frederick Fender, CMG has been made a Knight Batchelor for services to The University of Keele and to the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
New Year Honours Award to Scientist
John Ernest Walker FRS, winner of a Nobel prize in Chemistry in 1997, was made a Knight Bachelor in the New Year Honours list for 1999 for services to molecular biologyNew Fellows of the Royal Society for 1998
On 14 May 1998 the Royal Society elected 40 new Fellows and 5 new Foreign members. Those of interest to crystallographers are:- Harshad Kumar Dharamshi Hansrasj Bhadeshia Reader in Physical Metallurgy, Dept Materials Science and Metallurgu, University of Cambridge
for his work on the theory of solid state phase transformations, in particular the prediction and verification of micro-structural development in multi-component steels. He has used the theory to design novel steels, resistant to wear and impact deformation, which in turn has helped in the large scale manufacture of new rail steels. - David Keith Bowen President of Bede Scientific Inc.
Denver, USA
for his contributions in applied physics and instrumentation to nanonscience and metrology. He has instrumented precision techniques for general use.While at Warwick University he was the prime mover in setting up the X-ray topography line at the Daresbury Laboratory, which has now been operating successfully for over a decade.
Obituaries
17 Jan 2001
- The Times' on 15 Jan 2001 carried the obituary of
William Hewlett who was born in Michigan 20 May 1913 and
died in California on 12 Jan 2001. Together with his partner,
David Packard, who died in 1996, he created the firm of Hewlett-Packard,
suppliers of many types of computer hardware, including ink-jet and laser printers.
- Physics World January 2001 page 11 carried an obituary of Louis N�el born in Lyons in 1904, who died 17 Nov 2000. He was awarded the 1970 Nobel prize in Physics for his discovery in 1932 of anti-ferromagnetism and other work on the magnetism of ferrites
23 Nov 2000
We are sad to report the recent deaths of two respected colleagues-
It is with great sadness that I announce the death of our friend and
collegue Peter Verkerk.
He died in a motorcyle accident yesterday
evening. (22 November 2000)
Peter has been a well known and respected member of the
international neutron-scattering community for many years, and will be
remembered as an extremely pleasent and effective scientist. He has
served on countless advisory boards, selection committees etc. where his
scientific and personal qualities were greatly appreciated.
Peter worked at IRI in Delft since 1971. He was responsible for much of
the construction of the rotating crystal spectrometer RKS during the
early seventies, and much of the software for thorough data correction
for TOF spectrometers was then developed by Peter. His ground-breaking
experiments on liquids and compressed gases continued over most of his
career, and it is this which involved him in a large circle of
collaborators. More recently his interests also turned to polymer
electrolytes, where he quickly gained recognition.
With deepest regret
Don Kearley, University of Delft
email: [email protected]
- It is with deep regret that we have to inform you that
Harry Brumberger
passed away on Friday, November 10th, 2000. Harry's contributions to the
small-angle scattering field over many years were of course enormous. He was
one of the founders of the small-angle scattering community both in this
country and abroad. Harry remained active to the end as the SIG's
Member-at-Large, providing much help and wisdom in the organization of this
year's SAS sessions in St. Paul. Tributes of greater length to Harry will
follow. For now, we state simply that he will be greatly missed by all who
practice the art of small-angle scattering, and his family and friends will
be in our thoughts and prayers.
Tom Rieker, ACA SAS SIG Chair, 2000
Andrew Allen, ACA SAS SIG Vice-Chair, 2000, and Chair-Elect, 2001
E-mail: [email protected]
8 June 2000
The Times of June 8th carried an obituary of Gerry Cookson (11 Jan 1925 - 4 June 2000 ) a native of Northumberland, who discovered the structure of porphobilinogen, which is the chemical building block for a group of organic pigments, including haemoglobin and chlorophyll. This was published in Nature in 1953. He later left academia for industrial vantures such as CamVac, who exploited his inventions producing metallic plastic sheets and strips by condeninsf aluminium on to polymer in a vacuum. This was used not only in consumer products such as shiny metallic wallpaer and clothing, but also in the electronics industry.23 March 99
'The Times' recently published an obituary of Gerhard Herzberg who was born in Hamburg, Germany, on 25th December 1904, he died in Ottawa, Canada on 3rd March 1999 aged 94. He was a pioneer in the development of spectroscopy for the study of molecules. He entered the Technical University at Darmstadt in 1924 to study physics; within 4 years he had obtained his doctorate. He worked as a postdoc under Max Born and James Frank in G�ttingen and spent a year in Bristol before emigrating to Canada in 1935. He settled initially in Saskatoon where his classic books were written, 'Atomic Spectra and Atomic Structure' published in 1936 and 'Molecular Spectra and Molecular Structure' published in 1939.1 Dec 98
'The Times' published an obituary on 27 Nov 98 of Prof Nicholas Kurti CBE. FRS who died on 24 Nov 1998 aged 90. Although not a crystallographer his work on the production of very low temperatures has led to greater uses of cryogenics in crystallography. He will probably be best remembered by the general public for his interests in science and cooking, and the invention of a Reversed Baked Alaska' hot on the inside but frozen on the outside.25 July 1998
James Edward Gordon (1913 - 1998)
Although Jim Gordon is recognised by many as one of the founders of materials science he is probably best known for his two books of literary quality; 'The New Science of Strong Materials or Why You Don't Fall Through the Floor' was published in 1968 and its sequel 'Structures or Why Things Don't Fall Down' published in 1978. In these books he attempted to encapsulate his life's work on new materials into prose which avoids the fatal flaw of most technical books, dullness, which was for him an inexcusable sin. The books were translated into some 20 languages and are still widely used in both schools and early years of undergraduate courses.
During the Second World War he worked on composite materials and later
worked at the Explosives Research and Development Establishment at Waltham
Abbey, where a quest for fibres with a high stiffness to weight ratio led to
the building of a pilot manufacture and processing plant for silicon carbide
whisker crystals. He accepted the chair of materials technology at Reading
University in 1968, where he worked on such diverse problems as the
toughening mechanism in wood and the bursting of blood vessels. This field
is now known as biometrics, where engineers and scientists try to understand
and then mimic natural materials.
Editor's Note: These notes were summarised from an obituary which
appeared in 'The Times' of July 25th 1998.
8 November 1997
The November 97 issue of 'Physics World' (page 56) contains an obituary of Reginald Gibbs who died on 19 August in his 100th year. He was a world Authority on the structure and properties of quartz; he worked with William H.Bragg and was associated with University College London for more than 50 years.27 October 1996
The death was reported recently of Seymour Cray the reclusive designer of supercomputers used by many crystallographers for simulations.12 August 1996
'The Independent' published an obituary of Neville MottIndex to people by name
The names are listed in alphabetical order of surname, they include references to everyone mentioned in this file.- Harshad K.D.H.Bhadeshia made FRS
- D.Keith Bowen made FRS
- C.Chothia made FRS in June 2000
- Gerry Cookson death in June 2000
- Seymour Cray death of supercomputer designer
- Brian Fender made a knight
- Reginald Gibbs
- M.Goedert made FRS in June 2000
- James Edward Gordon materials scientist and author
- Gerhard Herzberg spectroscopist
- Obituary of William Hewlett computer hardward manufacturer
- Julia Higgins becomes a Dame
- B.A.Joyce made FRS in June 2000
- Nicholas Kurti low temperature physicist
- Andrew Leslie made FRS in June 2001
- Nevill Mott condensed matter theorist
- K.Nagai made FRS in June 2000
- Obituary of Louis N�el discoverer of anti-ferromagnetism
- T.V.Ramakrishnan made FRS in June 2000
- Valerie Randle profiled by British Council 2000
- Anne Sayre biographer of Rosalind Franklin
- George Sheldrick made FRS in June 2001
- Andrew Taylor awarded and OBE
- Janet Thornton profiled by British Council 2000
- John Ernest Walker Nobel prize winner made a Knight
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