John Latham (physicist)
Prof. Latham | |
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John | |
Born | NCAR Boulder Colorado | 21 July 1937
Doctoral advisor | John (BJ) Mason |
John Latham (21 July 1937 – 27 April 2021) was a British physicist and professor emeritus at the University of Manchester, known for his work on atmospheric electricity and, later in his career, climate engineering. He was also an accomplished poet.
Biography
Latham obtained a PhD on thunderstorm electrification from
Scientific achievements
Latham is best known for his work on thunderstorm electrification
In his academic career, he supervised over twenty-five doctoral students,[1] the first of whom was David Stow.[7][8]
Literary achievements
Latham was also a talented prose writer, playwright and prize-winning poet.[9] He won first prize in over twenty poetry competitions, with the title poem for one of his later collections (entitled 'From Professor Murasaki’s Notebooks on the Effects of Lightning on the Human Body') gaining second prize in the UK’s 2006 National Poetry Competition.[10] He published six full collections of poetry in all[11] and broadcast a number of radio plays on BBC Radio 4.[12]
Latham's poetry is characterised by the kind of close observation typical of a scientist, combined with a natural ability to generate "a strikingly original angle of vision” whose metaphors "hang around in the mind long after you’ve read them”.[13] His poems received positive reviews from poets Ian McMillan, Peter Porter and John Greening, and he was published and/or reviewed in many literary outlets (including the Observer and Poetry Review). His later work focussed more intently on the themes of ageing and memory, a significant feature of his writing as dementia took hold, complicating the latter years of his life.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Our History (Centre for Atmospheric Science – The University of Manchester)". www.cas.manchester.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ "NCAR scientist is namesake of new British lab | NCAR & UCAR News".
- ^ "Carcanet Press – John Latham". www.carcanet.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ISSN 0035-9009.
- ^ "John Latham obituary: Climate physicist and expert on thunderstorm electrification who was also a published poet". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "Physics Tree - David Stow".
- ^ a b "doctoral students (Professor John Latham, 1937-2021) and Literary biography - The University of Manchester)". Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "The UK Poetry Society". John Latham biography (the Poetry Society website). Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "National Poetry competition". administered through the Poetry Society (United Kingdom). Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ Alan Gadian (30 May 2021). "John Latham obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
- ^ "John Latham – Comma Press". commapress.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ "Colorado Poets Center: John Latham - Critical Commentary, Some Reviews of UK Poetry Collections". Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.