A BRILLIANT CAREER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2365, 4 December 1908, Page 7

A BRILLIANT CAREER.

PROFESSOR RUTHERFORD’S

WORK

WHAT HE HAS HONE FOR

SCIENCE

Tilie announcement that Professor Rutherford, who is a native of New Zealand, and who was a student at Canterbury College, has keen 'awarded one of the highest prizes 'the world can offer to, fa scientist, was received 'with, pleasure in New Zealand, and particularly so in Christchurch, Professor Rutherford is an horioparv,member of the Canterbury. Pfrflo- * sophical Institute, mnd his; very brii- '' 11 ant career has been -watched with keen interest by friends-m Christ•cliurcih. In many respects Jus cesses Shave been quite unique. Me is •only thirty-seven years of age, and, with all his best yehTS before him, lie has won so many honors an the scientifie world that there seems to be little left for him to gam.- He was born in Nelson, where his parents resided for somo time. He attended Nelson College, and, after living in Taranaki, went to f Christchurch, where he married) Miss Mary G. Newton, a daughter pf Mrs Newton, who

r : --,„. * still resides in the city. After a successful University career there he wont to Cambridge where he took further (honors, having obtained an exhibition science scholarship. He prosecuted researches at the Cavendish Laboratory. Entering enthusiastically into tho problems connected with radium, ho has added largely to the world’s knowledge in that respect. For over ton years he has been regarded as the leading authority on radio-activity, working in conjunction with the Curies, Professor Soddy and other investigators. Hisuvorlc in radio-activity has been of a very original character, and his experiments have been characterised by striking brilliancy. The honor that lias just been conferred -upon him, of course, is The highest he has received, hut his work lias already been recognised. Fivo years ago, for instance, he was elected .a Fellow of tile Royal Society. In the following year lie delivered the Bakeriam lecture before the Royal Society; and this w r as followed by his receiving the Royal Society’s Rumford medal in 1905. For some years he was Macdonald Professor of Physics at-the M’Gill University, Montreal, but last- year iho was appointed Langworthy Professor and Director of Physical Laboratories in the University of Manchester, a position which 'ho still holds. He has published a few bookstand a large number of articles and papers on radioactivity. Speaking to a “Lyttelton Times” reporter the other , day Dr C. Coleridge Farr arid that it was felt that the authorities in Stockholm, in honoring Professor Rutherford, had honored the whole of the British Empire. Professor Rutherford had done a great deal of work in several directions. He first worked in connection with wireless telegraphy, then turned to the Rontgen- rays, and thento yudiuni and radio-activity. Farreaching theoretical and practical results could- be expected from his investigations into the phenomenon of radio-activity. Successful experiment's had proved the accuracy of his bold speculations. One of tho greatest of his theoretical advances was in regard to the disintegration of the elements. Long before experiments had show:; that radium, as somebody had add, was. “possessed of an incurable suicidal monomania,” Rutherford had boldly assorted that radium, uranium and thorium atoms were in process of disintegration. He had also announced that one of the processes of the disintegration of radium was helium, and that also had been proved to bo the case. He had discovered most of tho twenty-two elements that constituted the “radium family,” one of which was helium and another lead. Other -great discoveries had been made by liini, and much important work bad been done by other investi- j gators at his He -posses- i sed a very remarkable experimental , o-enius. In conjunction with it, bo I had a talent for explaining clearly j what he had done. His papers m ! scientific journals, therefore, were always readable and -interesting, con- I trasting in that respect with the pa- ; pers of some other workers hi. the 1 same field, which were hard to -uudeir j stand. * „ Tho prize that ‘Professor Rutiier- , ford has gained is based' upon the will of Dr Alfred Bernhard Nobel, in- | ventor of dynamite, who died m 1896. i Ho left part of liis great fortune to constitute a fund, the interest or | which lie ordered to be awarded an- ■ nually in prizes to those persons who ■ «hould have contributed most ma- . tori ally to benefit mankind during the preceding year. There are five prizes, each worth about £BOO, -to be awarded for most important discoveries or improvements <in (1) physics, (2) chemistry, and (3) physiology, or medicine; (4) for the most distinguished work of an idealistic tendency an the field of (literature, and (5) fox the best effort -towards the fraternity of nations and Hie promotion of peace. The Swedish Academy of -Sciences, Stockholm, awards the physics and chemistry prizes; the Caroline Medical Institute, Stockholm, awards the , prize for physiology or medicine; the j Swedish —Academy -in Stockholm | awards the literature prize; and-the peace prize is awarded by a coni-mitt-Q© of five persons elected by the Norwegian Storthing. No consideration is -paid to the nationn.it-y of the candidates, but it is essential that - every candidate sball. be proposed in writing by some qiiaililTed representa- , tive of science or Literature in the chief countries of the civilised world.