Ian Butterworth (physicist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ian Butterworth
CBE, FRS
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 3 December 1930 |
| Died | 29 November 2013 (aged 82) |
| Resting place | Kensal Green Cemetery |
| Alma mater | University of Manchester |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Therese Gough |
| Children | Joanna Rachel (Jody) |
| Awards | See list |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Particle physics |
| Institutions | University of Manchester AERE CERN Imperial College London Lawrence Berkeley Lab Queen Mary College |
| Doctoral advisor | H J J Braddick |
Ian Butterworth (born December 3, 1930 – died November 29, 2013) was a very important scientist who studied tiny particles. These particles are the building blocks of everything around us. He was a research director at CERN, which is a huge science lab in Europe. He was also given special honors like being a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Commander of the British Empire (CBE).
Contents
Life and Work of Ian Butterworth
Early Life and Education
Ian Butterworth was born in a place called Tottington in England. This was on December 3, 1930. He was the older of two brothers.
He went to school in Hawkshaw and then to Bolton Municipal Secondary School. Ian loved physics, which is the study of how things work in the universe. He was so good at it that he got into the University of Manchester. He finished his degree in 1951 and even won an award for being the best physics student.
After that, he joined a research group at Manchester. He studied cosmic rays, which are tiny particles from space. He earned his PhD in 1954.
Starting His Career
After university, Ian worked at the UK Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) in Harwell, Oxfordshire. There, he researched materials that could help create a "cold neutron source." Neutrons are tiny parts of atoms.
In 1958, Ian became a teacher at Imperial College London. He joined a group that studied high-energy nuclear physics. He started working with "bubble chambers." These are special devices that let scientists see the paths of tiny particles.
Big Discoveries and Collaborations
In 1962, Ian led a team from Imperial College. They worked with scientists from Germany and other places. They used a large bubble chamber at CERN to study how particles called pions interacted.
Two years later, he took a break from Imperial College. He went to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. This lab was known as a top place to study how tiny particles behave.
When he returned to Imperial in 1965, he was a senior lecturer. He wanted to use what he learned in California. He made sure his department had powerful computers. They got a DEC PDP-6 computer in 1966. This helped his team become experts in understanding how particles interact.
Because of his great work, Ian was asked to lead the bubble chamber group at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. He kept his job at Imperial College at the same time.
Leadership Roles
In 1971, he spent a short time back with old friends at Berkeley. Later that year, he returned to Imperial College. He became the head of the High Energy group. In 1980, he also became the head of the Physics Department.
In 1983, Ian left Imperial College. He moved to Geneva, Switzerland, to become one of the research directors at CERN. This was a very important job at one of the world's biggest science labs.
After his time at CERN, Ian was invited to become the principal of Queen Mary College. He returned to London in 1986. He had two main goals there:
- To create a medical school by combining with other medical schools. This happened in 1989.
- To make the college bigger by joining with Westfield College. This was finished in 1995, after Ian had retired in 1991.
Family Life and Legacy
Ian Butterworth married Mary Therese Gough on May 9, 1964. They had one daughter, Joanna Rachel, in 1967.
Ian passed away on November 29, 2013, just a few days before his 83rd birthday. He was cremated at Kensal Green Cemetery. Many people shared kind words about him. They said he was a "power for good" and a "major force in physics."
Awards and Special Recognitions
Ian Butterworth received many honors for his important work:
- Fellow of the Royal Society (1981)
- Awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) (1984)
- Fellow of the American Physical Society (1985)
- Honorary Member, Manchester Lit. and Phil. Soc. (1987)
- Fellow of Imperial College (1988)
- Dr hc Soka University (1989)
- Glazebrook Medal and Prize, Institute of Physics (1993)
