William Bate Hardy facts for kids
Sir William Bate Hardy (born April 6, 1864, died January 23, 1934) was a smart British scientist. He studied living things (a biologist) and also worked on how food is made and kept safe (a food scientist). There's even a special award, the William Bate Hardy Prize, named after him because of his important work.
Contents
Life and Discoveries
Sir William Bate Hardy was born in Erdington, a town near Birmingham. He went to school at Framlingham College. Later, he studied at the University of Cambridge and finished his studies in 1888. At Cambridge, he did important research in biochemistry, which is the study of the chemical processes happening inside living things.
One interesting fact is that he was the first person to suggest the word "hormone" to another famous scientist, E.H. Starling. Hormones are like chemical messengers in our bodies that control many functions.
Recognized for His Work
Because of his amazing scientific contributions, Sir William was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1902. The Royal Society is a very old and respected group of scientists in the UK. He also gave special lectures there, like the Croonian Lecture in 1905 and the Bakerian Lecture in 1925. In 1926, he won the Royal Medal, which is a big award for scientific achievement.
Helping Science Grow
In 1920, Sir William worked with Sir Walter Morley Fletcher to convince a group of trustees to use a large sum of money from the Sir William Dunn legacy for science research. This money helped create two very important science centers:
- The Sir William Dunn Institute of Biochemistry at Cambridge University.
- The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology at Oxford University.
These institutes became places where many amazing discoveries were made. Ten scientists who worked there later won the Nobel Prize. For example, Professor Frederick Gowland Hopkins won a Nobel Prize for finding vitamins. Also, professors Howard Florey and Ernst Chain won for their work on penicillin, a very important medicine.
Understanding Friction
Sir William Bate Hardy also made big contributions to a field called tribology. This is the study of friction, wear, and lubrication. He helped introduce the idea of "boundary lubrication." This is about how thin layers of oil or grease can reduce friction between surfaces, even when they are pressed together very hard. He was even named one of the top 23 "Men of Tribology" by another expert, Duncan Dowson.
Sir William was honored with a knighthood in 1925, which means he was given the title "Sir." He passed away in Cambridge in 1934.
Family Life
William Bate Hardy married Alice Mary Finch in Cambridge in 1898.
