Cecil Reginald Burch facts for kids

Cecil Reginald Burch (born May 12, 1901 – died July 19, 1983) was a clever British scientist. He was both a physicist, someone who studies how the world works, and an engineer, who designs and builds things. He made important discoveries that helped create powerful telescopes and microscopes.

Who Was Cecil Burch?

Cecil Burch was born in a city called Leeds in England. He was a very bright student. In 1923, he finished his studies at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, which is a famous university.

After university, he started working at a company called Metropolitan-Vickers in Manchester. This company was a place where scientists and engineers did a lot of research and developed new technologies.

His Amazing Discoveries

While working at Metropolitan-Vickers, Cecil Burch invented special liquids called 'apiezon' oils. These oils were very important because they helped create extremely empty spaces, also known as "high vacuums." Imagine a space with almost no air or anything else inside it – that's a high vacuum!

Why were these empty spaces so important? They were needed to coat large mirrors for astronomical telescopes. Coating these mirrors correctly helps telescopes see faraway stars and galaxies much more clearly.

In 1933, Cecil Burch moved to Imperial College London. There, he became a "Fellow of Optics," which means he was an expert in how light works. Two years later, in 1935, he moved to the University of Bristol. At Bristol, he focused on making better microscopes and telescopes. Microscopes help us see tiny things up close, and telescopes help us see distant objects like planets and stars.

Awards and Recognition

Cecil Burch's hard work and brilliant ideas earned him several important awards. In 1942, he won the Duddell Medal and Prize. Later, in 1954, he received the Rumford Medal.

The Rumford Medal was given to him for his "distinguished contributions." This means he did amazing work in two main areas:

• Making those "high vacuums" possible, which was crucial for many scientific tools.
• Developing the reflecting microscope, a special type of microscope that uses mirrors.

In 1944, Cecil Burch was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom. It means he was recognized as one of the best and most important scientists of his time.

Cecil Burch married Enid G Morice in 1937. He passed away in 1983, leaving behind a legacy of important scientific advancements.