W. E. S. Turner
W. E. S. Turner | |
---|---|
Born | William Ernest Stephen Turner 22 September 1881 |
Died | 27 October 1963 | (aged 82)
Alma mater | University of Birmingham |
Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society[1] |
William Ernest Stephen Turner
Biography
Turner was born in
He married Mary Isobell Marshall (died 1939) and they had 4 children.[1]
In 1904, he joined the University College of Sheffield as a lecturer, and, in 1915, established the Department of Glass Manufacture, becoming in 1916 the Department of Glass Technology. He remained as its head until his retirement in 1945.[1]
In 1943, he married Helen Nairn Munro, an artist noted for her glass engraving, and a teacher of glass decoration at the Edinburgh College of Art.[1] She was provided with a blue dress and shoes in glass fibre cloth (which was then an unusual industrial material). This has been selected as one of the items in the BBC's A History of the World in 100 Objects.[3] The same year, he established a collection of historical and modern glass which became the Turner Museum of Glass from his extensive collection, and the wedding dress is on display there.[3][4]
He died on 27 October 1963.[2]
Work
Publications
From 1904 to 1914, he published 21 papers on physical chemistry, mainly on
Research
His early career was strictly academic, largely dealing with the associations of molecules in the liquid state. However, as his articles in the local newspaper showed, he was interested in the application of science to practical industrial problems, and this became the main theme of his work. The beginning of the
In 1916, he founded the Society of Glass Technology, becoming its first secretary. It published a Journal, which he edited until 1951. He was also involved in the formation of the International Commission on Glass.[2]
Teaching
Turner initially taught physical chemistry, and in 1905 started specific courses for metallurgists. This involvement led him to become President of the Sheffield Society of Applied Metallurgy in 1914. In 1915, the Department of Glass Manufacture began an outreach programme, providing short courses to industry in
Honours
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1919 New Year Honours[5] for application of science to the glass industry, and in 1938 was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was the only person outside Germany to receive the Otto Schott Medal.[1]
References
- ^ S2CID 73240558.
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biographyaccessed 15 July 2009
- ^ a b BBC A History of the World Glass Fibre Wedding Dress
- ^ Turner Museum Website
- ^ "No. 31114". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 January 1919. p. 460.