Visit to the Cavendish Laboratory - March 13, 2018

The initial idea to visit the Cavendish came from Stuart, who had been a student there in the early 1970s. Since I knew of at least three other Liverymen who had done their PhD research in Cambridge, I decided to look into the possibility of organising a mini home-coming, with a view of sharing our experiences with our fellow scientific instrument makers. I got in touch with Professor Malcolm Longair, Director of Development at the Cavendish and author of a recent book titled “Maxwell’s Enduring Legacy”.  Malcolm offered to host the visit on the afternoon of March 13.

Professor Longair is in charge of building the third Cavendish Laboratory. He recently received an £ 85 million gift from the Dolby family, a very major contribution to the construction of the new lab. Ray Dolby (well known in the audio, motion pictures and television industries) began his industrial career at the Cavendish.  Dolby was also a member of Pembroke College during his time in Cambridge. For this reason, I thought it would be a good idea to include Pembroke College in our visit plan. It was through the kindness of a Pembroke Fellow that we were able to meet for lunch at the College.

We gradually gathered at Pembroke College, where we enjoyed a light lunch served in the Thomas Gray Room. It was a great opportunity to get to know each other in a relaxed environment ahead of what was to be a very full afternoon in West Cambridge.  After lunch we were taken on a short tour of the college. We had the opportunity to visit the college chapel, built by Cristopher Wren (this was the first church he built), and hear some interesting anecdotes about college life.

A short taxi ride and we were at the Cavendish (except for the four who decided to walk the three miles to West Cambridge), with time to spare for the start of the visit at 2:00 pm. We were met by Malcolm, who gave us a very interesting overview of the main scientific discoveries since the foundation of the Laboratory under the direction of JC Maxwell.  In his presentation Malcolm emphasized how scientific instrument making made possible many of the great scientific discoveries of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We were taken to see (and touch) some of these instruments.

We were able to appreciate the skills of the instrument makers who helped to develop what we now know as modern physics. Good examples were the coils designed by Maxwell to determine the ohm, Thomson’s quadrant electrometer and the cathode ray tube used in the discovery of the electron. We also saw the original Wilson cloud chambers and Aston’s mass spectrometer.

Proof that the Cavendish Laboratory is not a museum is the current research work at the newly built Maxwell Centre. This is where “blue-skies” ideas meet research objectives relevant to industry and society at large. We saw the work being carried out in cooperation with external partners including ARM, Boeing, BP, HCL, NPL, Nokia, Schlumberger and SKF.  It all points to a bright future.  The plans to build the third Cavendish are well advanced, and we should see the new buildings in operation in 2021.  Perhaps a good time for our next technical visit to West Cambridge.

Visit to the musEYEum - Aug 13, 2015

We went to the College of Optometrists for a guided tour of the “musEYEum” on August 13, turning up at their door in Craven Street on a rainy morning with much anticipation, not really knowing what to expect.  There must be a link between a pair of spectacles and scientific instrument making, we thought.

 

The group was just the right size: thirteen people including one of the apprentices. On arrival we met our host Neil Handley, curator of the museum, who gave us a two hour tour of the College.  This is not an ordinary museum: many of the exhibits are kept in the various College meeting rooms (the College incorporates the examining function of The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers, which was granted a Royal Charter by Charles I in 1629, and provides the Scheme of Registration for professional optometrists).

Of particular interest was the collection of original prints, paintings and objects illustrating how spectacle wearing evolved since the middle ages. We saw a number of instruments used by optometrists including ophthalmoscopes, retinoscopes,  keratometers and focimeters. One fine example was Professor Hjalmar Schiøtz Impression Tonometer. They also had a replica of Van Leeuwenhoek simple microscope, and a hand-held Gregorian-type reflecting telescope (1750). We were invited to return to the museum to inspect more closely any of the fine instruments in the collection that had caught our attention.

Replica of Van Leeuwenhoek simple microscope

For many of us the highlight of the visit was the opportunity to see an original of the first edition of Newton’s OPTICKS, published in 1704. Newton had initialled the first page of the book.  For those of us with a background in optics being able to see this book at close range was a rare privilege.  

 

Isaac Newton’s  OPTICKS, first edition (1704) initialled by the author.

 

After the visit to the museum we walked to Trafalgar Square for lunch at the Café in the Crypt, St Martin in the Fields.