Alan Cottrell
Sir Alan Howard Cottrell, FRS[1] (17 July 1919 – 15 February 2012) was an English metallurgist and physicist. He was also former Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Government and vice-chancellor of Cambridge University 1977–1979.
Alan Cottrell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 July 1919 Birmingham, Warwickshire (now West Midlands) |
| Died | 15 February 2012 (aged 92) Cambridge, Cambridgeshire |
| Nationality | English |
| Citizenship | British |
| Alma mater | University of Birmingham |
| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society[1] Hughes Medal (1961) Harvey Prize (1974) Rumford Medal (1974) Copley Medal (1996) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Metallurgist, Physicist |
Early life
Cottrell was educated at Moseley Grammar School and the University of Birmingham, where he gained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1939 and a PhD for research on welding in 1942.[2]
Career
Cottrell joined the staff as a lecturer at Birmingham, being made professor in 1949, and transforming the teaching of the department by emphasising modern concepts of solid state physics.[3] In 1955 he moved to A.E.R.E. Harwell, to become Deputy Head of Metallurgy under Monty Finniston.[3]
From 1958 to 1965 Cottrell was Goldsmiths' Professor of Metallurgy at Cambridge University, and a fellow of Christ's College. He later worked for the government in various capacities, ultimately as Chief Scientific Adviser from 1971 to 1974,[4] before becoming Master of Jesus College, Cambridge, from 1973 to 1986,[5] and Vice-Chancellor of the University in 1977–1979.[6]
Death
Cottrell died on 15 February 2012 after a brief illness.[7]
Awards and honours
- 1955 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society[8]
- 1961 Hughes Medal[9]
- 1962 Francis J. Clamer Medal[6]
- 1965 He was the first to be awarded the A. A. Griffith Medal and Prize.
- 1967 James Alfred Ewing Medal.[10]
- 1969 Fernand Holweck Medal and Prize
- 1971 He was knighted.[5]
- 1973 Honorary Degree (Doctor of Science) from the University of Bath.[11]
- 1974 James Douglas Gold Medal[12]
- 1982 Cottrell was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex[6]
- 1996 Copley Medal (the Royal Society's highest award)[13][14]
He was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.[15]
Selected books
- Theoretical Structural Metallurgy (1948) (E Arnold; 2nd Revised edition (1 January 1955)) (ISBN 0713120436)
- Dislocations and Plastic Flows in Crystals (1953) (ISBN 978-0198512066)
- Superconductivity (1964) (Harwood Academic (Medical, Reference and Social Sc; n edition (December 1964)) (ISBN 0677000650)
- An Introduction to Metallurgy (1967) (ISBN 978-0901716934)
- Portrait of Nature : the world as seen by modern science (1975) (ISBN 978-0684143552)
- How Safe is Nuclear Energy? (1982) (Heinemann Educational Publishers (29 June 1981)) (ISBN 0435541757)
- Concepts in the Electron Theory of Alloys (1998) (ISBN 978-1861250759)
References
- Smallman, R. E.; Knott, J. F. (2013). "Sir Alan Cottrell FRS FREng. 17 July 1919 – 15 February 2012". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 59: 93–124. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2012.0042.
- Charles, J A (February 2012). "Sir Alan Howard Cottrell ScD, FRS, FREng, LLD (Hon)" (PDF). Academia Europaea. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- History of Metallurgy at Birmingham Engineering at Birmingham University
- Scientists in Whitehall by Philip Gummett p49, available at Google books
- Masters of Jesus College Archived 5 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- Kaiser Danner (24 July 2017). "Alan Cottrell". Academia Europaea. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- "Sir Alan Cottrell FRS – Christs College Cambridge". Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- Knott, John (18 March 2012). "Sir Alan Cottrell obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- Hughes archive winners 1989 – 1902 Royal Society
- The International Who's Who 2004
- "Corporate Information". Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- "Sir Alan Howard Cottrell". American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- Copley recent winners: 1990 – present day Royal Society
- Holders of the Copley medal (1731–2005) Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press 2004
- "The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences: Alan Cottrell". Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
External links
- The National Archives lists his reports
- Listen to an oral history interview with Sir Alan Cottrell – a life story interview recorded for An Oral History of British Science at the British Library
- Tribute by Prof Peter Hirsch
- Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 19 February 2012
- Obituary by Dr J.A. Charles
- AIME James Douglas Gold Medal in 1974 Biography at The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Solly Zuckerman |
Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government 1971–1974 |
Succeeded by Dr Robert Press |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Denys Page |
Master of Jesus College, Cambridge 1973–1986 |
Succeeded by Colin Renfrew |
| Preceded by Dame Rosemary Murray |
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 1977–1979 |
Succeeded by Sir Peter Swinnerton-Dyer |
Authority control  |
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