John Stuart Foster
Encyclopedia
John Stuart Foster was a Canadian
physicist
.
Born in Clarence
, Nova Scotia
, he completed his Ph.D.
at Yale University
with a dissertation on the first measurements of the Stark effect
in Helium
. In 1924 he gained an appointment as assistant professor at McGill University
in Montreal
where he taught physics. He became associate professor in 1930.
During the World War II
he served as a liaison officer for the National Research Council, working at the MIT radiation laboratory on radar
research and development. He developed a fast-scan radar antennae that became known as the "Foster scanner".
He returned to McGill in 1944, where he directed the construction of a 100-MeV cyclotron
. This instrument was commissioned in 1949. At the time this was the second largest in the world. From 1952 until 1954 he was Chairman of the Physics Department at McGill. He died in Berkeley, California
.
His son, John Stuart Foster Jr., graduated from the University of California in 1948, then became director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
, director of Defense Research and Engineering for the U.S. Defense Department, and Vice President of T.R.W., Inc.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
.
Born in Clarence
Clarence, Nova Scotia
Clarence is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County.-References:*...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, he completed his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
with a dissertation on the first measurements of the Stark effect
Stark effect
The Stark effect is the shifting and splitting of spectral lines of atoms and molecules due to presence of an external static electric field. The amount of splitting and or shifting is called the Stark splitting or Stark shift. In general one distinguishes first- and second-order Stark effects...
in Helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
. In 1924 he gained an appointment as assistant professor at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
where he taught physics. He became associate professor in 1930.
During the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served as a liaison officer for the National Research Council, working at the MIT radiation laboratory on radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
research and development. He developed a fast-scan radar antennae that became known as the "Foster scanner".
He returned to McGill in 1944, where he directed the construction of a 100-MeV cyclotron
Cyclotron
In technology, a cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator. In physics, the cyclotron frequency or gyrofrequency is the frequency of a charged particle moving perpendicularly to the direction of a uniform magnetic field, i.e. a magnetic field of constant magnitude and direction...
. This instrument was commissioned in 1949. At the time this was the second largest in the world. From 1952 until 1954 he was Chairman of the Physics Department at McGill. He died in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
.
His son, John Stuart Foster Jr., graduated from the University of California in 1948, then became director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , just outside Livermore, California, is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center founded by the University of California in 1952...
, director of Defense Research and Engineering for the U.S. Defense Department, and Vice President of T.R.W., Inc.
Awards and honors
- Fellow of the Royal Society of CanadaRoyal Society of CanadaThe Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
, 1929. - Awarded Levy Medal, Franklin InstituteFranklin InstituteThe Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
, 1930. - Henry Marshall Tory MedalHenry Marshall Tory MedalThe Henry Marshall Tory Medal is an award of the Royal Society of Canada "for outstanding research in a branch of astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, physics, or an allied science". It is named in honour of Henry Marshall Tory and is awarded bi-annually. The award consists of a gold plated silver...
, 1946. - Elected to the Royal Society of London, 1935.
- The Foster Radiation Laboratory and Cyclotron at McGill was named after him in 1964.
- The crater FosterFoster (crater)Foster is a small lunar crater that lies to the southeast of the larger crater Joule, on the far side of the Moon. The rim of Foster is slightly eroded, and the narrow inner walls slope directly down to the relatively dark interior floor. The rim has a small outward bulge along the southwest side....
on the MoonMoonThe Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
is named after him.