Thomas Gerald Pickavance facts for kids

Thomas Gerald Pickavance (born October 19, 1915 – died November 12, 1991) was a brilliant British scientist. He was a nuclear physicist, which means he studied the tiny parts inside atoms. Gerry, as he was known, was an expert at designing and using special machines called particle accelerators. These machines make tiny particles move incredibly fast.

A Life in Science

Early Life and Education

Gerry Pickavance was born in a town called St Helens in Lancashire, England. His father, William, was an estate agent, and his mother was Ethel. Gerry went to the University of Liverpool to study.

Building Particle Accelerators

At the University of Liverpool, Gerry helped develop a machine called a cyclotron. This was an early type of particle accelerator. He used it for important research during the Second World War, as part of a secret project known as Tube Alloys.

Later, Gerry was in charge of building another cyclotron at a place called Harwell. He became the leader of the team that worked on these powerful machines.

Leading Big Science Projects

While at Harwell, Gerry led new research into even better particle accelerators. This led to the creation of two very important machines in 1957. One was a 50 MeV proton linear accelerator. The other was an 8 GeV Nimrod Proton Synchrotron. These were built at a new place called the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Gerry Pickavance became the very first Director of this important laboratory.

After that, he continued to lead in science. He was the Director of the Nuclear Physics Division for the Science Research Council. He also chaired a European committee that looked at future particle accelerators.

Awards and Recognition

Gerry Pickavance received many honors for his work. In 1965, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This is a special award from the British King or Queen for people who have done great things. In 1976, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom. In 1979, he received the Glazebrook Medal from the Institute of Physics.

Gerry Pickavance passed away in 1991. He was married to Alice Boulton, and they had two sons and a daughter.