Regius Professor of Civil Engineering and Mechanics (Glasgow)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Regius Professor of Civil Engineering and Mechanics is a 1840 by Queen Victoria at the University of Glasgow appointed Regius Professor of Engineering . The foundation was increased in 1872 by the inheritance of Isabella Elder in memory of her husband, John Elder . In addition to this Regius Professorship, there are three other professorships for engineering

History of the professorship

The first professor was Lewis Gordon , who after graduating from the University of Edinburgh had gained further experience in France and Germany. He had a decisive influence on the subject in Glasgow and worked with William Thomson , the later Baron Kelvin, on the mechanical effects of heat, with his older brother James on the development of turbines . He left university to pursue successful business interests. He was succeeded by his assistant Macquorn Rankine .

Rankine earned the reputation of the "father of engineering" in Scotland. His influence on the subject extended to Europe, America and Japan. He was trained not only as an engineer, but also in the basic scientific disciplines. In collaboration with the Glasgow shipyards , Rankine introduced courses in which students had to gain practical experience in the shipyards during their non-study periods. After Rankine, William Thomson's older brother, James Thomson, took over the professorship. Like his predecessors, Thomson had studied natural history and engineering and had practical experience and teaching experience from Belfast . His most famous works concern water pumps and turbines. When his eyes became increasingly bad, he withdrew from the professorship and left the professorship to his assistant Archibald Barr .

Barr had studied in Glasgow and became an assistant to James Thomson at a young age. After teaching stays in Yorkshire and at the University of Leeds , he returned to Glasgow in 1989 to take on the professorship. At that point Barr had already teamed up with William Stroud , a professor in Leeds, and founded the Barr and Stroud company. He continued to head the development department there and withdrew from the professorship as the business increasingly attracted his attention. Barr successfully raised funds for the institute. Under his leadership, the engineering department of the university expanded from 39 to over 200 people, and he built the James Watt Engineering Building in 1901 .

Barr was also succeeded in office by his assistant, John Dewar Cormack . Cormack received high honors, for example he was made a member of the Legion of Honor. Cormack was followed by Gilbert Cook , who was trained in Manchester and who, after volunteering, taught in the marine reserve at King's College in London. Cook was an expert on steel and studied the behavior of the material under stress. With the appointment of William Marshall , who was trained at Imperial College , an attempt was made to shorten the original name of the professorship to Regius Professor of Civil Engineering . Marshall examined reinforced concrete in his research and carried out basic research in this area.

Marshall's successor, Alexander Coull , was also a civil engineer and researched the structures of skyscrapers and bridges. He had studied at the University of Aberdeen and after a few years in industry returned to Aberdeen to do his PhD. After holding positions at the University of Southampton and the University of Strathclyde , he was finally appointed Regius Professor in Glasgow. Nenad Bicanic , originally from Croatia , took over the professorship in 1994. He later also headed the School of Engineering (1997–2001).

In 2012, the Dutchman René de Borst took over the office and continues the tradition.

Professors

Surname name suffix from to annotation
Lewis Gordon 1840 1855
William John Macquorn Rankine 1855 1872
James Thomson , 1873 1889
Archibald Barr 1889 1912
John Dewar Cormack 1913 1935
Gilbert Cook 1936 1951
William Marshall 1952 1975
Alexander Coull Esq., B.Sc., Ph.D., FIStructE, FICE, FRSE 1977 1992
Nenad Bicanic 1994 2010
René de Borst 2012 2015

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m The University of Glasgow Story; Civil Engineering (Regius Chair) ; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  2. ↑ a b c d e The University of Glasgow Story; Lewis Gordon ; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  3. ↑ a b c d The University of Glasgow Story; Macquorn Rankine ; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  4. ↑ a b MT Dalgarno and EH Matthews, The Philosophy of Thomas Reid ; The Role of Reid's Philosophy in Science and Technology: The Case of WJM Rankine ; Springer Science & Business Media; Page 447 ff.
  5. ↑ a b c d e The University of Glasgow Story; James Thomson ; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g The University of Glasgow Story; Archibald Barr ; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ a b c The University of Glasgow Story; John Dewar Cormack ; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  8. ↑ a b c The University of Glasgow Story; Gilbert Cook ; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  9. ↑ a b The University of Glasgow Story; William Marshall ; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  10. ↑ a b c The University of Glasgow Story; Alexander Coull ; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  11. ↑ a b The University of Glasgow Story; Nenad Bicanic ; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  12. ↑ a b The University of Glasgow Story; Rene De Borst ; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  13. ^ A b c Appointment of Rene de Borst as Regius Professor in, Warrants Under the Royal Sign Manual in The Gazette ; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  14. ↑ a b Communication on the appointment of William Thomas Marshall as Regius Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Glasgow in the London Gazette of May 6, 1952.
  15. ↑ Alexander Coull on www.zoominfo.com; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  16. ↑ Appointment of Alexander Coull as Regius Professor, published under Warrant under Her Majesty's Royal Sign Manual, in The Edinburgh Gazette on October 29, 1976; Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  17. ↑ a b Announcement of the appointment of Nenad Josip Nikola Bicanic London Gazette of March 8, 1994.