Monty Finniston facts for kids

Sir Harold Montague "Monty" Finniston (born August 15, 1912, died February 2, 1991) was an important Scottish businessman and scientist. He was known for his work with metals and for helping to improve engineering in Britain. He was also a member of the Royal Society, a very old and respected group for scientists.

Early Life and Education

Monty Finniston was born in Govanhill, Glasgow, Scotland. His family came from Russia and were Jewish. Their original family name was Feinstein. He went to Allan Glen's School when he was young.

He studied how metals are made and behave, which is called metallurgy, at the University of Glasgow. He earned a special degree called a PhD and then taught about metals at the university.

Work in Science and Industry

During World War II, Monty Finniston worked for the Royal Navy's science team. He was sent to Canada to work on how to use nuclear power for submarines. After the war, he stayed in Canada for a while.

Later, he became the main metal scientist at the Atomic Energy Authority in Harwell. From 1948 to 1958, he helped develop nuclear power very quickly. He led important research into the metal problems of nuclear reactors. This included looking at the fuel parts, their covers, and the containers that held the reactors.

In 1958, he moved to north-east England. He became the director of a new Nuclear Research Centre. This center was started by an engineering company called C. A. Parsons and Company. When interest in atomic power slowed down in the early 1960s, he convinced the company to change the center. It became International Research and Development Ltd. (IRD), a company that did engineering research for many different businesses.

Leadership and Awards

Monty Finniston was a leader in the Royal Society from 1971 to 1972. In 1973, he became the chairman of the British Steel Corporation, a large company that made steel. In the same year, he was made a knight and given the title "Sir."

He received important awards for his work. In 1974, he was given the Bessemer Gold Medal. In 1975, he received the A. A. Griffith Medal and Prize. He was also chosen to be the President of the Institution of Metallurgists, a group for metal experts.

In 1978, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This is another important group for scientists and thinkers in Scotland.

The Finniston Report

In 1977, the government asked Monty Finniston to lead a group to study British engineering. This was because industries were complaining about not having enough skilled engineers. Also, engineering was not seen as a very important job in the UK.

In 1979, his group released the Finniston Report. This report suggested that universities should offer special engineering degrees. These degrees would be called BEng and MEng, instead of just science degrees (BSc). The report also led to the creation of the Engineering Council in 1982. This council helps support engineers. It also helped start WISE (Women into Science and Engineering) in 1984. WISE encourages more women to work in science and engineering.

Later Life and Legacy

Sir Monty Finniston was the head of Stirling University from 1979 to 1988. In 1981, he started the Prison Reform Trust (PRT), a group that works to improve prisons. He was also the President of the Association for Project Management from 1984 until he passed away.

He died on February 2, 1991.

Family

In 1936, he married Miriam Singer.

External sources

• Video interview