William Francis Gray Swann facts for kids

W.F.G. Swann (born August 29, 1884 – died January 29, 1962) was an important English physicist. He spent most of his career in the United States. He was known for his studies of tiny particles and energy from space.

Swann's Early Learning

W.F.G. Swann went to college in England. He studied at Brighton Technical College. Then he went to the Royal College of Science. He earned his first degree in 1905. Later, he worked as a teacher at the University of Sheffield. At the same time, he studied for his advanced degree. He received his D.Sc. (Doctor of Science) in 1910 from University College London.

A Career in Science

In 1913, Swann moved to the United States. He joined the Carnegie Institute. There, he became the head of the Physics Division. This division studied Earth's magnetism. Later, he became a professor at several universities. These included the University of Minnesota, the University of Chicago, and Yale University. At Yale, he directed the Sloane Laboratory.

One of Swann's students at the University of Minnesota was E. O. Lawrence. Lawrence later won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1939. He followed Swann to Chicago and then to Yale.

In 1927, when he was 43, Swann became the first director of the Bartol Research Foundation. This foundation was part of the Franklin Institute. He arranged for the foundation to be located at Swarthmore College. This college is close to Philadelphia. Swann led the foundation until he retired in 1959.

Swann is especially famous for his research into cosmic rays. These are high-energy particles from space. He also studied high-energy particle physics and Quantum mechanics. He wrote over 250 scientific papers. He also wrote a popular book called The Architecture of the Universe in 1934.

Awards and Honors

In 1960, Swann received the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal. This award came from the Franklin Institute. A crater on the Moon is named after him. It is called Swann crater. There is also a glacier in Antarctica named the Swann Glacier. Swann was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics three times. This was in 1951, 1952, and 1953.

Other Interests

Besides being a physicist, Swann was also a very good cellist. He studied music with Diran Alexanian. Alexanian worked with the famous cellist Pablo Casals. Swann even started the Swarthmore Symphony Orchestra. He was also the president of the American Physical Society from 1931 to 1933. He was also a member of the American Philosophical Society. He retired from his work in 1959.

Later Life

W.F.G. Swann died in 1962 in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He is buried on Chebeague Island in Maine.